AWKA, Nigeria – The Awka High Court, presided over by , has on Friday, June 9, 2023, ordered the Anambra State government to expedite the construction of roads in Awka town and its surrounding villages.
The directive is aimed at enhancing the status of Awka as the state capital.
The directive was part of a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Otti in Suit No A/MISC87/2022, brought forward by the incorporated Trustees of the Association of Awka Indigenous Advocates against the Anambra State government.
The judge described the long-standing neglect as unfair to the residents of Awka, which has been overlooked and abandoned by successive administrations since Anambra State’s establishment in 1991.
Justice Otti upheld three of the four reliefs sought in the suit. She ruled that the failure and neglect of the Anambra State government to construct and maintain roads in Awka amounted to a breach of its constitutional obligations.
This neglect, the judge ruled, “has occasioned severe restrictions on the free movement of people in and around Awka and as such constitutes a violation of the right to freedom of movement of indigenes and residents of Awka town as guaranteed under section 41(1) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.”
Justice Otti further compelled the Anambra State government to immediately commence extensive reconstruction, rehabilitation, and repair of all roads in Awka town.
However, she declined to order the government to pay the applicants the sum of N500,000,000 in damages.
The legal team representing the Awka Indigenous Advocates, led by Ifeanyi Nwonwu, ESQ of Okwuawka chambers, argued that, despite being the state capital, Awka has been neglected for 22 years.
In contrast, other cities, like the capital of neighboring Ebonyi State, have seen extensive infrastructural development.
Reacting to the judgment, former deputy speaker of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Keluo Muolokwu, criticized the state’s successive governments for neglecting Awka and praised the court’s ruling.
He emphasized that the current state of infrastructure in Awka was below par compared to other cities in the South East region.
Muolokwu called on the government to not only ensure good roads but also improve the overall status of Awka to meet world standards.
He also commended Mr. Peter Obi, Labour Party’s presidential candidate and former governor of the state, for his past efforts to develop Anambra.
