Anambra Govt Laments Huge Compensation Costs For 2nd Niger Bridge

Anambra State government has bemoaned huge amount of money of properly designed environmental plan is forcing it to pay as compensation for buildings marked for demolition to pave way for the ongoing construction of a flyover and roundabout linking the six-lane roads to the 2nd Niger Bridge from the Nkwelle-Ezunaka axis of the Federal Highway.

The state commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Chief Okey Ezeobi expressed the regrets while delivering his remarks as a keynote speaker at the 2026 Annual General Meeting/ Conference of the state chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) held at the secretariat of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka at the weekend.

He stated that over 5,700 building have been documented by the state government for to be removed to create necessary pathways for the federal government road project expressing regrets that the state government would have been saved the huge financial losses if proper structural environmental plan had been drawn capturing such modern development infrastructure.

Further in his remarks on the theme of the conference: Vision to Legacy: Planning, Innovation, Inclusive Development for Livable City, the Works and Infrastructure Commissioner tasked Architects, and, other professionals involved in environmental planning to explore ways to bring about digital innovation into planning the environment, emphasising that digital migration is the current pathway every professional group relies on for success and future relevance.

He said “Over 5,700 buildings have been marked and documented for demolition to pave way for the flyover, and, six-lane road roundabout at Nkwelle-Ezunaka area on the Federal Highway linking to the 2nd Niger Bridge. If proper structural environmental plan had been done long ago to anticipate this development, Anambra government wouldn’t have been incurring the heavy losses in paying compensation on those buildings.

He stated that it was to secure safe environment for the future generation of the state that forced the incumbent Professor Chukwuma Soludo administration to embark on the 2nd state government airport project, despite criticisms against it from certain people, adding that the government had even began making plans to secure land for a 3rd airport project.

“Unfortunately, erosion has taken about 30 percent of our land in Anambra state, so if as Architects we don’t plan the environment may be by 2060 we will have no land for our people to live in”, Ezeobi charged further

He urged the architects to come up with environment plan that would be adaptable for inclusive development by bringing digital innovation into environmental planning ; how to live vertically because the horizontal environment is no more available; how to deal with issues of carbon emission in your building plan; think how our building will be like in 20 years.

Earlier in his remarks, President of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Sani Saulawa complained that negligence of professional architects in environmental planning schemes by relevant authorities including governments and other stakeholders was responsible for the disaster and unsafe environment being experienced in the country.

The NIA leader, however, pledged the commitment of the institute to continue its sensitisation campaign for engagement of the service of architects in environmental planning schemes.

Also, earlier in his welcome address, chairman of the NIA in the state, Ikenna Onuorah pledged the commitment of the members to creating a safe livable environment.

He, however, charged governments to prioritise making laws and enforcing same to ensure proper planning framework for environment that would guarantee development, coordinated inclusive investments in a safe society.