Rural/Urban Renewal: The New Birth

Immediately after the Civil war Rivers State was almost in rubbles following intense battle by both Biafran and Nigerian forces to gain control of the future oil centre in sub-Sahara Africa.

Hence when the Nigerian forces crushed the rebel forces most of the major structures in the city of Port Harcourt was destroyed. It was under this condition that the then young Navy Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff commenced a massive urban rural renewal drive in the three-year old State.

Borrowing from the slogan of the then Head of State, General Yakubu Mohammed, “No Victor, No Vanguished”, Governor Diete-Spiff started a rehabilitation programme which lasted through the five years of his administration.

Today landmarks of Spiff’s Urban renewal drive stands tall and one of them is the 17-storey building (Point Block) at the secretariat complex.

Others include the supabod building, The Rivers State Newspaper Corporation building and the Rivers State university of Science and technology later unveiled in the early 80s.

Soon after Spiff left office, the urban renewal drive was almost halted, except for the effort of Governor Melford Okilo, who tried to enforce the decentralization policy of Diete-Spiff.

According to the decentralization policy, sub-urban centres like Bori, Ahoada and Degema were earmarked for development, but soon after Okilo was removed by a Miliary coup in 1984 everything went comatose.

Today vestiges of those projects are still there. The old abandoned Faculty of Law building in Degema. Ahoada Town still houses many abandoned government ministries buildings.

Between 1984 to 2007, all urban renewal policies were grounded as the city of Port Harcourt and environs became a haven for lawless estate developers and house owners.

Chairman of the Rivers State branch of the Nigerian institute of Architects (NIA) now member elect of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Belema Okpokiri blamed previous administrations for the near total collapse of building laws over the past years.

In his words, “the political will was not there so it was not as if the laws were not there but rather the Ministry officials kept a blind eye”.

Fortunately things changed when Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi took over the reins of administration in October 2007. he started a massive urban renewal drive hinged on infrastructural provision.

“Before Amaechi administration”, Mr. Emmanuel mark remarked “there was haphazard development and people built houses with impunity”.

Compelled by the drive to revive the city’s infrastructure the administration started an acquisition policy to pave way for expansion of major roads in Port Harcourt, as against the heavy traffic jams now regular in most part of the metropolis.

A Port Harcourt based Estate Surveyor, Mr. Ben Oti pointed out that Governor Amaechi hinged his urban renewal policy on infrastructure because the city was becoming too congested due to influx of people and industries.

As at present, he commented that the Governor’s vision has given the city a “breath of fresh air”. I think when it comes to urban renewal we have started somewhere unlike before”, he said.

The same view was shared by Mr. Mark, the National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) “at least the city is acquiring a new look”, he remarked, “go to Rumuola, Rumuomasi, Azikiwe Road, Elekahia, and Mgbuoba all those areas are totally changed”.

However one aspect of the renewal drive that excites both Mark and Oti is the Greater Port Harcourt City Project, otherwise known as GPCDA headed by former Secretary to the State Government, Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam.

The project is expected to run for 50 years and borrows most of its core aspects from the Diete-Spiff Port Harcourt master Plan of 1975.

Greater Port Harcourt from all indications was intended to address the city sprawl and conurbation problem facing the State, since most of government and private business activities are centered in Port Harcourt.

Though it was mooted in 1975, it never had an institutional framework, but the present administration gave legal backing as an act of Assembly was passed to give it impetus.

The master plan covers six local government areas including, Emohua, Ikwerre, Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Eleme and some parts of Okrika. With over 50 native settlements incorporated in the blueprint, the plan stretches around communities near the urban fringes.

Chairman of the Rivers State branch of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Dr. Chris Ibeakuzie in a recent activity of the body hailed the vision noting, “the city of Port Harcourt is undergoing visible transformation both in terms of new construction projects and in the expansion and maintenance of existing infrastructure all aimed to make the city liveable”.

Dr. ibeakuzie continued, “we suggested reviewing he gave the city a brand new master plan backed by the law creating a greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority for implementing that plan. We are hoping that the administrator of the authority shall be making comment on their effort on implementing the plan. Because there is need for the authority to set out an agenda for implementing that plan”.

Commenting on the Urban renewal drive of the present administration in Rivers State Eze Oha- Madike of Apara Kingdom, Chief Fred Amadi said for the first time the people of Rivers State is seeing a renewed city.

The traditional ruler argued that Port Harcourt City is being brought back to its former status as the Garden City of Nigeria, “you can see that Port Harcourt is being brought back to its garden city status. The city is no longer what it used to be”.

Chief Amadi is of the view that the infrastructural development is what has endeared the government to the people.

On her part, Rivers State House of Assembly member elect, Mrs Victoria Nyeche said the Governor has set a landmark when it comes to urban renewal, “for the first time in the history of the State the government is facing the problem of infrastructure squarely”.

For Princess Kate Woluchem the government has performed very well on road and infrastructure. But Mr. Ben Oti believes that urban-renewal does not only entail infrastructure development.

The estate surveyor believes that urban renewal is all encompassing – it covers  water, power, road, drains and the buildings. On the other hand, Mr. Mark contended that once the basic infrastructure is provided it would spark off development.

Looking at the rural areas, there have been marked development as well. Almost all the roads in Bori have been tarred, the same obtains at Elele, Omoku, Abua and Ahoada.

The rural riverine communities like Opobo, Abonnema, and Buguma are not also left out. There are huge reclamation ongoing at the ancient city of Opobo where about 32 acres of land have been reclaimed.

In order to drive this rural renewal bid, Mr. Oti advocated for the relocation of some government ministries to rural areas, where their services are most needed. Among those he mentioned include Agriculture, Water and Rural/Development.

Even more, he recommended that the industrial area should also be relocated or decentralized. He argued that activities in the present industrial district at Trans-Amadi axis should be relocated to the outskirts including that at Ikoku Motor parts market.

One other area the estate surveyor harped on is the controversial Water front renewal plans by the government, “People should divorce the ethnic colouration on that project” he noted, “because if we renew our waterfronts it would enhance the city’s beauty and raise revenue for government”.

Mr. Mark shares the same view with Oti. He identified about 40 slums at the waterfronts around the city. “Only within Port Harcourt we have more than 30 slums, “Mark emphasized.

While commending the Government for the plans to renew the waterfronts, he added that the tempo to revitalize the riverside flanks of the city should be sustained despite the recent agitations by some people.

Already, the government have unveiled a renewal plan for the waterfronts where new state of the art housing and tourist facilities would be sited.

Governor Amaechi has reiterated that the project would be the pivot of his city renewal plans before the end of his tenure, adding that adequate compensation would be paid to those who can tender their Temporary Occupation License, to pave way for the scheme.

John Bibor