Anambra state government has declared a state of emergency on traffic in the state.
The Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu stated this during the post-Anambra State Executive Council briefing held at the Government House, Awka.
Commissioner Nwosu stressed that the new road traffic management measures introduced were to ensure that Ndi Anambra does not spend more than twenty minutes in traffic.
The Commissioner who said that Anambra Traffic Management Agency was directed to deploy their officers in the twenty most difficult areas in the state, pointed out that to aid effectiveness, Governor Soludo directed that ATMA should be trained by LASTMA, FRSC and Army, as well as recruit more people into the Agency, for increased capacity and efficiency.
Nwosu noted that the State Fire Service will be restructured to become more responsive and effective, emphasizing that it will be decentralised and brought closer to the people, revealing that the era of using phone calls has been phased out, while the Anambra State emergency fire response application has been activated.
While stating that it was also approved that all the traffic lights will be serviced, he added that the Commissioner for Local government was directed to identify areas in the communities that can be used as bus stops.
According to the Commissioner, among other issues discussed at the meeting were the adoption of the name; Anambra State Executive Council as against the Executive Council, adoption of a policy to introduce urban agriculture to increase food production in Anambra State where every household deploy spaces in their domain to plant agricultural produce, the transition from inorganic farming to regenerative agriculture to improve quality of agricultural products.
Other items discussed include the ongoing rehabilitation work on Anambra roads, revision of laws setting up government parastatals and agencies by the State Attorney General, approval for annual procurement of one million palm seedlings, five hundred coconut seedlings as a way of trying to relive the old M.I Okpara days when palm oil was the mainstay.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Christian Aburime was also present at the briefing.
