The recent demolition of the Head Office of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing located along Nnewi-Owerri Road in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State by the state government has sparked mixed reactions.
The IVM Head Office building was partially demolished by the Anambra State Government to pave the way for an ongoing road expansion project in the area.
The once-magnificent structure has been rendered unusable by the exercise, which also affected hundreds of other buildings, shops, and structures along the same road and in other parts of Nnewi and its environs, leaving many property owners counting their losses.
The demolition exercise has triggered a wave of reactions and counter-reactions from both affected individuals and concerned authorities.
Another aspect of the exercise that has stirred fresh controversy is the speculation and allegation that the perimeter fence of St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral, Nnewi—reportedly obstructing the path of a proposed drainage channel—was deliberately spared.
According to claims, authorities of the Diocese allegedly refused to allow any tampering with the church fence, compelling the contractor to construct drainage on only one side of the road, leaving the church’s side untouched.
Confirming the demolition of its Head Office building, IVM expressed deep displeasure over the incident.
Reacting to the incident, the Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group, Mr. Cornel Osigwe, stated that no pre-demolition notice was served to them prior to the exercise, adding that the demolition came as a complete surprise to the company.
He noted that the partial demolition impacted the perimeter fence, portions of the offices, the staircase, and the company’s showroom.
Osigwe said, “We did not know that the building itself was marked for demolition, and if it was marked, they should have given us time to relocate.
“The staff were working, and they just saw the demolition vehicle demolishing the building while work was going on.Some of our staff were trapped in the building; it took the efforts of our other staff to rescue those that were trapped while over 20 vehicles were also trapped.
“A day before the demolition, there was an announcement that there was going to be a demolition, and they were going to give one week for the houses that were marked for demolition to relocate.”
He added, “The company was not aware that it was also marked for demolition, and even if it was aware.
We are surprise when demolition was going on, they should have given us a grace and notify us.There has been a public announcement that all the marked buildings have one week to relocate, but many things were not considered.
“There were other buildings that were close to the head office and marked for demolition that were not demolished, but they came straight to our building and demolished it, making us wonder if there was another ulterior motive to it.”
When asked if the demolition might be politically motivated, the IVM Spokesman stated that he did not believe the state government would intentionally choose to demolish the company.
“Gov. Chukwuma Soludo has been a great supporter of Innoson Vehicle, and Innoson has been a great supporter of the state government.
“But the way and manner that everything happened makes us wonder if the state government is aware that those handling the demolition have a personal vendetta against the company,” he stated.
The Commissioner for Works, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma, stated that the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Head Office building was among those marked for demolition as part of the road construction project in the state.
Okoma clarified that all affected buildings had been marked long ago and that the owners were properly informed prior to the demolition exercise.
He said, “There has been a public announcement that all the marked buildings have one week to relocate, but many things were not considered.
“There were other buildings that were close to the head office and marked for demolition that were not demolished, but they came straight to our building and demolished it, making us wonder if there was another ulterior motive to it.”
He emphasized that there was no political motive behind the demolition exercise, as some had speculated, and stressed that there is no issue or rift between the state government and IVM.
“Soludo is the only governor nationwide that uses made-in-Nigeria vehicles. Chief Innoson is our man; anybody trying to create a wrong narrative about the demolition exercise does not mean well,” he affirmed.
