![[OPINION] The place of public interest in Enugu urban renewal - Sunday Onyemaechi Eze](/media/k2/items/cache/f59d312e60b584ecbde46328c35f29a9_XL.jpg)
Enugu urban renewal programme tops the agenda of this government. While implementing, government has carried out series of demolition exercises which affected properties worth millions of Naira throughout the state. Prominent among areas demolished were the transport hub of the Holy Ghost Area, Ogige Nsukka Main Market, Centenary City, Garki Market and others. Consequently, our dear state - Enugu was in the news for avoidable wrong reason. Unfortunately, these demolition exercises come at a time Ndi Enugu are battling with the current harsh economic realities caused by the ripple effects of fuel subsidy removal and run away inflation. In fact, one thought government should have consulted widely before hitting the ground running.
Ndi Enugu are keen on witnessing ground breaking developmental feats achieved by government. Therefore, they are not oblivious of the fact that some of those areas demolished needed to be decongested or deserve some form of urban rebirth. However, it has to be clearly stated that no urban renewal programme worths inflicting pain on the people. Every effort of government should recorgnise the place of overall public interest or its impact on people and businesses. Therefore, government embarking on such project should consider the well-being of the people a top priority. Enugu as a state is lucky to have an amiable governor who is a lawyer and many others in the legal profession assisting him in various capacities. However, have they in this instance given a thought to the implications of violating the fundamental rights to own movable and immovable properties as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution?
The demolition exercises as a policy may be necessary but there are better and more civil approaches to dealing with such a sensitive state matter. In view of this, government ought to have taken major proactive steps before rolling out the bulldozers. First, the government was elected to improve lives and uplift the standard of living of citizens. It is the fundamental responsibility of every government to do so. Therefore, when a government strays, away from that core mandate simply to satisfy the law, or gazetted documents, the overriding public interests is violated. This is because, the laws are meant for men not men for the law. Second, government seems not to remember timing in policy decision making or project delivery. A democratically elected government ought to think like the sons of Issachar in 1 chronicles 12: 13 who are aware of the time and season.
Government ought to know that this is not the right time to destroy. Times are hard. Things are really very hard. Third, the demolition has given rise to unemployment and increased poverty level in the state. The affected businesses lost direct, indirect labour or services in between the value chain. In fact, employees of these businesses are now jobless thus, adding to the growing rate of unemployment in the state. The implication of this is the potential growth in the number of crimes committed by the idle minds which is the devil’s workshop. Fourth, government cannot be building on tax reforms and at the same time destroying revenue earning targets. As government is striving to raise internally generated revenue and build on the gains of tax reforms, destroying avenues to make more money through taxation for development is not an option.
Government should encourage growth in business not constitute an obstacle or make itself an available tool to kill it with strangulating actions and policies. Fifth, this demolitions were carried out without meaningful consultation with those directly affected. No government can function in isolation of the views and active participation of the people in governance. Adequate plan was also not on ground for a seamless relocation of those businesses to other sites before the demolition took place. Does it mean that the concerns of Ndi Enugu are considered secondary or unimportant by the government in the decision making process? Six, many of those affected have died or are currently sick as a result of shock and disbelief.
Seeing their businesses and hard earned lifelong projects gone down the drain in few seconds is big enough to drive one crazy, lead to sickness and death. How would you feel if your property or business was among those destroyed? As usual, government's response to and justification for the demolition especially reactions from the State Commissioner for Information, Aka Eze Aka, and the Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, Uche Anya followed the same line of old rhetorics. “They claimed, the buildings pulled down in some affected areas were earmarked because they served as kidnappers’ hideout.” How does demolishing buildings allegedly housing kidnappers become the best government could do to combat crimes and criminality in this 21st century? Is government trying to do the job of the police?
In the light of the above, government should consider the following ways forward for better and prosperous Enugu. First, it should consider immediate establishment of a ministry of Special Duties or rejuvenate existing department or agencies if any with the mandate of interfacing with people on knotty issues of this nature and many more. This will serve as a vehicle to bridge the communication gap between the people and government or serve as voice for everyone joining the government to finding solution. Second, it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war. Therefore, rejuvenation of Community Mobilization/Engagements Directorate in the concerned ministry and or creating one at the Local Council Areas is vital.
Vigorous enlightenment campaigns for public understanding and buy in of government programmes and policies is a key element to be handled by the local directorate. This is because genuine community engagement is crucial to resolving teething issues. By so doing, government will avoid the trap of “selective engagement” of some greedy community/opinion leaders who pose as representatives of the entire people but are busy working for their selfish interests. Third, carrot and stick approach should have been applied instead of killing the fly with a sledge hammer. Government should have issued notices for regularisation of land documents to defaulters instead of taking the harsh option.
It is possible to compensate those affected by the demolitions accordingly and provide alternative markets with six months incentivised free rent as bonus. Fourth, court orders should be respected at all times by those in position of authority. A culture of impunity, tyranny and disrespect to the sanctity of the law has no place in modern democracy. Fifth, the mandate of local government authorities to oversee every market in their domains should be respected even if someone has interest in certain quarters. LGAs are closer to the people thus are in a better position to manage situations of this nature maturely without necessarily exerting the power of state force which comes with its attendant backlash.
Sixth, most key office holders in government assisting in implementing state policies are sycophants or afraid of confronting the governor with the truth on burning issues simply to remain in their positions. Therefore, the governor should provide the enabling environment to accommodate bitter truths no matter how hard they seem. Key government officials should also elevate truth as a criteria for service and stop acting like slaves. Officers of the state should take oath of defending the truth instead of that of secrecy going forward.
It is only the government that can set its priority of governance right. Government should therefore, avoid proving right the existing suspicion that it is insensitive to public sentiment and scornful of the rule of law. In fact, displacement of businesses without adequate engagement or compensation is unfair and an indication of the insensitivity of government to the plight of the people. Is it proper for government to impose taxes on those demolished shops a few months before, only for the same government to pull the same shops down?
The spirit and letters of good governance all over the world is engraved on providing collective solutions to the needs of the people. It is the building blocks of harmony on what forms the common good of the people. The legitimacy of democracy resides finally with the people, therefore, government programmes must factor in the concerns of all citizens. We are in a democracy which is defined as “government of the people by the people and for the people.” Therefore, the peoples' government should live up to the ideals of democracy as exemplified in freedom and respect of law and order.
Sunday Onyemaechi Eze, a Media and Development Communication Specialist wrote via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and could be reached on 08060901201