Ejike Anyaduba
John Okamsi is a long time friend who plies his trade in the
Onitsha Main Market. He is not the run of the mill type of a trader even as he
has spent over 20 years in the Lagos line of the Market and as such should be
no less. He had longed for a corporate environment for business and believes
that Onitsha, the emporium of West Africa, deserves better. Accordingly he
rented offices on New Market road as well as Awka road just to attune to the
idea, but ideal business environment was far from being realized.
When few years back the idea of three Shopping Malls for
Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi was mooted and work commenced on them by the Anambra
state government he was flush with joy. He did the much he could to support the
effort and worked hard to encourage his colleagues to patronize renting of
shops at the Onitsha mall. But he had a nagging fear which he confided in me
but was a bit uncomfortable discussing with his colleagues.
The government that initiated the projects had few months to
vacate office and there were reservations that the malls won’t be ready before the
terminal date. A palpable fear of the projects being abandoned by the new
government was evident. The fear was further accentuated by the dwindling
economy and the widely-held belief that successor governments almost always do
not keep faith with projects initiated by their predecessors however popular
the projects. Rather they prefer to initiate new ones which ownership, from
conceptualization to flag-off, they have reasonable claim.
So when the Willie Obiano government promised to continue,
complete, commission and commence in what was popularly called the 4 Cs, not a
few persons were impressed. Very many persons dismissed it as the ranting of a self-
important politician. But few months down the line the government has not only
kept faith with completing the malls and assuaged the fears of my friend Okamsi
and other doubters, it has carried through with other projects started by
previous governments in the state. On Thursday the 14th of April,
2016, the Onitsha Shopping Mall, one of the three being carried through by the
Obiano in the spirit of continuity would be commissioned.
Ejike Anyaduba
Abatete