Chairman, Calabar Municipal Council, Apostle James Anam
By Anietie Akpan
In late December last year, the College of Veterans of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River Council had an interactive session with the Chairman and Mayor of Calabar Municipal Council, Apostle James Anam.
In the almost one hour session, the Mayor opened up on a wide range of issues touching finance, state of the council, infrastructure and others. Excerpts:
You have just resumed, What did you meet on ground?
I am very intentional about what is happening here as a councilchairman. I came to meet a dilapidated Council in all facets; we do not have light, water and security. People come in here to steal things, the place is just a free zone.
Nothing is working in any office, as we speak, if there is need to photocopy something, it is brought to my temporary office as this is actually not my office but the Paramount ruler’s. I came, rehabilitated and restructured the place so I can stay and work. It is that bad and I am in a haste to work but the rational here is very different, the government must sit before you do anything. I can assure you that, without mincing words, I came to meet N45,000 only in the coffers of government. So we cannot do anything but glory be to God that we have come, I am sure with God on our side, we are going to rehabilitate the entire local government as it is.
What kind of infrastructure did you meet?
In the area of infrastructure, I cannot sit in my office because there is no office to sit. When I did an inspection of the entire Council, it is amazing that the legislature do not have where to sit and if they try to go in there, they would be attacked by rodents and other things, it is as bad as that.
So, I want to thank His Excellency, the governor of our state, who is also ready because in our first meeting with him, he told us in clear terms that he has not touched the monies of local governments, and that as we resume, we are going to kick-start restructuring things and bringing things back to normal. I think we may not have much of a problem as a government. He said that we cannot have funds released to start working now because it is a festive periodbut. I am sure from the beginning of next year, if you come back here, you would be happy to see a rejuvenated place, a place where a real government is in place.
What are your plans?
We intend to do a lot of things like restructuring. We will remodel the offices, the political block and administrative block. Coming into the council, it does not look like a council and so we are going to resurface the roads to give it a better look and let the people know there is a government in place.
For the issue of light, I have set up a committee and we are going to bring back the transformer, as it was vandalized few days before I came in, as I was told but I cannot be sure.
Other Projects?
We have ear-marked certain things outside of government; our health centres are destroyed, our schools are vandalized, our markets are not in good shape, so we intend to do the things that will touch the common man, that is what interests me. The committee that we setup have gone into all the health centres in Calabar Municipality, we have gone into all the primary schools, we have also gone to all government structures that have not been used for many years in order to see what we can do to bring life back to our people.
We intend to touch markets, like when I went for my campaigns at Ikot Ishi market, I told them that once I am sworn in by the grace of God, I would come back to look into the situation of that market. I am aware that market was roofed 28 years ago, and so we are going to remodel the market. Even though we are government, we cannot go around to the people,instead, we went and met the clan Council to seek their approval and they had shown us joy that they had seen a government that can say a thing and keep to it. It is not just one market, there are several other markets and we need to attend to all of them.
Calabar Municipal Does Not have a Functional Motor Park, what at your plans on this?
We also intend to have a central park in Calabar Municipality as this is one thing that has been lacking. People go from here to Etim Edem park which is even no longer a park. So I think the capital of a state like this must have a central park where anyone can go to and travel to wherever he wants to.
Around the shopping mall that was done by the other government, we intend to have a park there as we have a very large span of land to build the park. Bible says when the righteous rule, the people rejoice. God has already given a consortium that is coming to build, service and run the park for us for a period of time, like a private, public, partnership (ppp) kind of project. Apart from that, we want to decongest Calabar.
By Marian market and opposite the Council motorists especially commercial drivers park anyhow and load, what are you doing about this?
Today, I inaugurated a task force on Calabar decongestion and market decongestion. If you go to Marian market now, you will see that we do not have where people can park cars, in a city centre like Calabar and just opposite the Calabar Municipal Council motorists park anyhow. So, we intend to decongest and return people back to the market so that we can have space for cars to park as it will also bring revenue to Council. We are in dire need of quick rehabilitation in calabar municipality and with God on our side, I am sure we are going to succeed in all of these. The incessant loading of buses and taxis by drivers at every bay has to be stopped, there is going to be orderliness in our roads.
Bus stops will be erected at several points to act as a check and takes me to the issue of thugs. Right now, I do not know what is happening but by the time I start, the people you will see with vests will be our task force, checkmating what the drivers are doing. Commuters will go to a point and wait, where the drivers will pick them and move, instead of parking everywhere. There will be advocacy, consultations and we will be meeting with people, so that we do not just enter the streets like that. Committees will be set up to engage the people so that people will understand that most of the things they are doing are not good. We will also meet with structures and stakeholders of the taxi drivers to let them know that there would be a fine of N100,000 for defaulters who stop at undesignated spots. It is not the money we are after but we are trying to put the people in order.
Coming to Council, even though I was not prepared this time around, I already had in mind, most of these things to do if given the opportunity and now the opportunity is here with me and I can assure you people that in six months, Calabar will wear a new look.
What are your plans on sports?
On sports development: I am a sportsman, an Arsenal fan and a fan of other sports. I also played football in my early days and so I intend to rehabilitate and restructure Leopard football club to a standard that would be heard within and beyond my tenure. We have started sending out Scouts to pick a point for us in the division cadre, where we can buy slots for them. I am going to put up new management in place to run the team and make it more modified, where there would be hope for our people. Sports is one thing that brings joy to the people, it also lessens communal problems and incessant restiveness.
With God on our side, we will be able to deliver our mandate and in 30 months, there would be a change of attitude and a lot of things in calabar municipality.
