…Over 100 shanties, buildings pulled down as ‘Operation Zero Shanties’ intensifies
By Chukwuka Ugokwe
The Anambra State Government has intensified its crackdown on illegal structures, demolishing shanties, container shops and unapproved buildings in parts of Nnewi, Ozubulu and Agulu.
The exercise, tagged “Operation Zero Shanties,” is being carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development as part of efforts to rid the state of illegal structures, particularly those erected along road corridors and other public spaces.
The enforcement team, led by the State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Bar Chijioke Ojukwu, on Saturday, August 8, revisited areas previously served with demolition notices.
At Nkwo Triangle Roundabout in Nnewi, the team demolished a building erected on a drainage channel, while several other illegal structures and roadside shanties were also removed.
Ojukwu explained that the affected property owners and traders had been given notices to vacate the areas, adding that the demolition followed the expiration of the notices.
The Commissioner disclosed that more than 100 illegal structures built along the setback walls of Joint Hospital, Ozubulu, were also demolished.
Areas affected by the exercise included the Traffic Light and Nkwo Triangle axes in Nnewi, as well as parts of Ozubulu, where roadside structures were said to be obstructing traffic and defacing the environment.
“We started at the Traffic Light in Nnewi, now at Joint Hospital, Ugwu Oye, Ozubulu, where we received complaints. We have come to restore order and sanity by clearing shanties which are defacing the environment,” Ojukwu said.
He stressed that the exercise would be comprehensive and would cover illegal structures located along road corridors across the state.
“We are serious about what we are doing. We are serious about urban regeneration; we are serious about restoring sanity in our environment,” he said.
The Commissioner advised residents and property owners to take demolition notices issued by the ministry seriously, warning that the government would no longer tolerate the continued erection of illegal structures.
“My advice is whenever they receive any notice from the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, they should take it seriously. It is no longer business as usual,” Ojukwu warned.
The ongoing operation is expected to continue in other parts of Anambra as the government steps up enforcement of physical planning regulations and its campaign to restore order along major roads and urban corridors.
Tags: #Anambra #Nnewi #Ozubulu #Operation ZeroShanties #Urban Regeneration
