The Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has said that he has adopted the United Arab Emirate’s (UAE) top city, Dubai, as a model for the development of the state capital, Awka.

The Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA), Amaechi Okwuosa, who spoke to journalists on behalf of the governor during the demolition of shanties by the agency, said the essence of the demolition in the capital city was preparatory to the massive facelift which the governor plans to give the city.

The demolition exercise which was jointly supervised by officials of ACTDA and men of the Nigeria Police Force visited several sections of the town from Agu Awka to Amansea, Ogbugbankwa junction and Club road, all within the capital city, where they removed structures deemed illegal.

Okwuosa described ACTDA as an agency of the state government charged with the mandate of building a world-class capital city in the state, adding that the agency was well equipped to meet the target.

The team demolished structures which were previously marked for removal, having been built without approval.

The ACTDA managing director said most of the structures were either built on drainage channels or under high tension wires, which posed great risk to its residents. He said other categories of structures removed were shanties, which gave the capital city an unbefitting outlook.

He said: “There is an existing federal law against building under high tension cables due to radiation and other hazards associated with it. Also, the state is presently faced with a lot of environmental challenges because people block water channels by building on top of it.

“The administration of Governor Willie Obiano does not condone illegality of any kind. What the agency aims to achieve by this exercise is to keep Anambra people safe by bringing residents of the state to conform with safety standards.

“Governor Obiano has a noble intention to make the state capital the best in the country, so developers who are trooping into the state in their numbers due to the secure environment should seek professional advice and direction from the relevant authorities before building.” (ThisDay)

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