RAYMOND OZOJI reports
The Awka Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) has given very cogent reasons the state government suspended sporting activities at the renewed and rebranded Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Awka contrary to speculative statements in some sections of the social media regarding the suspension of exercises and walkouts in the government reserved area.
Speaking exclusively to HEADLINE NEWS while inspecting ongoing works along Ekwueme Square road Awka yesterday, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ACTDA, Hon. Chief Osita David Onuko (Ife-Igbo) said government suspended exercises and other sporting activities because of the enormous works and regeneration going on in the government reserved area.
Onuko explained that the government reserved area is called the three arms zone housing the new Government House, Governor's Lodge, the House of Assembly Complex and the Judiciary respectively, stressing that it is a very important area in Awka capital city and that the functionality of governance largely depends on the area.
He further explained that Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo has broken the jinx of 33 years by giving Anambra State a befitting Government House and a Lodge which he described as first of its kind.
Onuko noted that the governor would be living on the new Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Boulevard coupled with other government functionaries that would be having their offices in new complex, pointing out that security wise, it was no longer conducive to have such activities going on in the new government reserved area.
The ACTDA boss also disclosed that why government took the sudden decision of suspending exercises and walkouts temporarily at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Boulevard was to allow ongoing construction works in the area flow freely without distractions and hitches.
He said they realized that people were distracting workers on site while doing exercises in the area. Although he said it was not their faults but government had to take a temporal decision to suspend such activities until it has a permanent decision to make; assuring that government is committed to making the entire state liveable, loveable and very prosperous for all and sundry.
Onuko said contrary to social media insinuations, there are no Illicit activities going on in the three arms zone on account of sporting activities. That if anything of sort ever existed in the area, government would have responded proactively and dealt with it completely, emphasizing that people come to Dr. Alex Ekwueme Square Awka to genuinely exercise with friends and family members and nothing more.
He maintained that in spite of the temporal suspension of exercises at the Dr. Alex Ekwueme Boulevard, there are other alternative locations where people can go for such activities like the Awka Township Stadium, the Boulevard at Aquinas Awka, Igwebuike Grammar School Awka, X-Fit Awka and a host of other places.
He equally corrected the wrong impression that it was because of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's visit to the state that government suspended sporting activities in the area.
Although he said, on the one hand, the president's visit would help a great deal to fast track the work but on the other hand, he said the beautification and regeneration of the new Dr. Alex Ekwueme Boulevard was not because of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's working visit to Anambra but for the greater good of the state thereafter.
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