Barrister Fabian Awhen
There is no doubt that the epithet “Canaan City” which refers to Calabar in the Nigerian Metropolitan context invariably conjures images of cleanliness, beauty, and abundance.
Similarly, the image of the people’s paradise as the State is known conveys an image of plenty and beauty.
These images are not far from real as residents and visitors to the Capital City and the State attest to such qualities.
That such qualities of the ancient city and the entire State have been maintained to date by the State Administration is highly commendable.
This is practically reflected in the ongoing redesigning of the roundabout, enclosing the Bassey Duke Effigy and the dualization of the Ndidem Usang Iso Road in Calabar, as well as other aesthetic projects in Ikom, Ogoja, and Ugep.
There are also noticeable strategies put in place by the Government to solve traffic chaos along the Watt Market and the awareness of avoiding indiscriminate dumping of refuse by residents as well as the destruction of illegal structures along major roads.
All these efforts and many more in the area of road development within the Capital City have undoubtedly heightened the service delivery capacity of state administration.
However, it is instructive to note that such commendable efforts are just the tip of the iceberg if only we could understand and appreciate the magnitude of the Government’s intention and its agencies towards the aesthetic standards of the State Capital, Calabar, in particular, and other Local Government Areas in general.
Looking retrospectively at the developmental process of the State Administration since the present democratic dispensation, we will agree that there are marked differences between the past and the present in terms of infrastructural development and policy articulation and implementation.
More than that, the State has since the life of this Administration witnessed more visitors to the State.
They include Top Government Functionaries, Ambassadors, Investors both Domestic and International, as well as Tourists.
This is why there is every reason to commend the ongoing efforts geared toward the aesthetic standards of the State Capital, Calabar.
Like every other human endeavour, the full benefits of such efforts can only be fill reaped through our support and commitment.
This means that we must stop the habit of dumping refuse into drainage, which in the slightest rain, litters the streets, as well as cause flooding.
On the other hand, the Government through its agencies should adopt more strategies to ensure sustainable Urban renewal of the Capital.
These include the preparation and implementation of only approved building plans for the physical development of the city and the adoption of such basic ingredients as population projection.
Others are the strict adherence to the regulation and control of buildings and the construction, maintenance, and improvement of all kinds of public utility.
All said, we commend the efforts of the State Administration in improving the aesthetic standards of the State Capital, Calabar, and the State in general.
The onus is ours to give to ourselves the best that can be given to any successful race or people and this we can do through our cooperation to realize our dreams.
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