Anambra State government has cleared the air on the misleading information regarding the Innoson Motors Showroom that was partially demolished at Nnewi, affirming that notice of evacuation was issued in 2024 during a stakeholders meeting.
The government emphasized that since the inception of the Soludo administration, there has been no instance where the demolition or removal of structures was undertaken without due process and consultation with critical stakeholders.
According to the Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor, a notice of a stakeholders' meeting was issued on October 31, 2024, to all concerned and affected persons whose businesses and properties were on the right-of-way along the Nnewi-Ozubulu-Onitsha federal highway.
Mefor stated that Dr. Innocent Chukwuma, founder of Innoson Motors, was duly notified several months ago and personally discussed the issue with several individuals, including placing a call to the Governor. “Unfortunately, while we appreciate the high position of Innoson in society, we cannot have a different set of rules for Innoson and another one for others,” he stressed.
The said Innoson property was officially registered under Mrs. Eucharia Alaru and marked as ASML/AOA/NW/L/066 for removal, in accordance with the Federal Highway Act of 1971, which stipulates that the right-of-way covers the ground within 45.72 metres from the centre line of any federal highway across Nigeria.
This measure, Mefor explained, is crucial for the safety of human lives and to ensure smooth, unrestricted vehicular movement along the highways.
The Commissioner affirmed that the matter was also highlighted during the stakeholders' meeting on November 1, 2024, and subsequently reiterated through public notices signed by the Commissioner for Works.
“While we sympathise with all affected businesses and properties along the statutory right-of-way, we must underscore that a government that has acted within the confines of the law, empathy and compassion cannot be blackmailed by any individual or group to derail the ongoing development of the state for selfish reasons,” Mefor asserted.
He also pointed out that the Soludo administration has consistently championed the growth of indigenous businesses, noting that Governor Soludo was the first and remains the only governor to adopt Innoson Vehicles as his official fleet — a testament to his support for homegrown enterprises.
“It is, therefore, pertinent to correct the deliberate misinformation peddled by paid content creators to discredit the good works of the state government. Their narrative is false, untrue, and at best, mischievous and a political machination of a few to score cheap, albeit selfish points,” Mefor clarified.
He revealed that several other prominent properties were also affected, including those belonging to the first National Leader of APGA, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, his wife and current Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Iyom Bianca Ojukwu, churches, and hundreds of others.
Mefor concluded by emphasizing that making Anambra a livable and prosperous state requires governance by law and order, with no exceptions granted to powerful individuals.