Recently, Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, announced the decision of his government to have all those whose houses are in prominent areas in the capital city of Awka and other cities, paint them or face the government’s wrath.
No doubt, it will be such a wonderful spectacle to see houses looking spick and span. That, surely, will also enhance the aesthetics of the state capital. and other cities, that is as far as it goes.
Certainly, this directive failed to factor in the dire economic situation of many families in the country today. It is not in doubt that many families are living in past glory, including those owning houses in the capital city. While many are living in homes bequeathed to them by their late parents and thus, may not be financially stable, other house owners built those houses when things were better and cannot therefore, afford the cost of carrying out the state government’s directive of painting their houses.
Thus, this directive of the Anambra State Government seems out of tune with the realities of present day Nigeria and should not have been given in the first place. Government should operate with a human face, always checking the pulse of the masses before making certain policies. If, indeed, government insists on houses being painted, it should either provide the funds or give subsidy to house owners, in view of the difficult times. Mandating house owners to paint their homes just like that without supporting them, even the best of times, is not ideal.
We therefore call on the Government of Anambra State to reconsider this directive which will only add to the burden of citizens. Forcing house owners to do this may lead to hike in house rents as the house owners will surely want to recoup what they spent, and in the long run, who loses?.
There are still many streets in the capital city not passable because of bad roads. Government should thus endeavour to build those roads and save the residents from their trauma. For instance, the residents of Kamali Layout in Awka, have been appealing to the State Government to intervene on their road, with the residents using their own money to make the road passable. There are also other similar areas in Awka where residents suffer to get their vehicles through. Will those people also paint their homes when the Government has not provided one of their basic needs?
We believe that this directive is not necessary at this time and that it is not Anambra’s biggest problem at the moment. There is therefore no urgent need to pursue this agenda, especially when the Government could have directed its energies to more critical areas of development. Sanctioning house owners in these austere times for not painting their houses seems a bit high handed and thoughtless and is fraught with many ugly possibilities.
We strongly appeal to Governor Soludo to withdraw this order, as it is certainly not the state’s greatest need at the moment.
