The Calabar Urban Development Authority (CUDA) has stepped up efforts to regulate trading activities and tackle environmental challenges around the T-Junction axis of the Ikot Ansa community in the Calabar Municipality. This follows a strategic engagement with representatives of the community and local traders.
The resolution was reached during a meeting convened by CUDA at the Ikot Ansa town hall. Officials of the agency outlined concerns relating to indiscriminate trading, illegal placement of containers, poor waste disposal practices, blocked drainage systems, and public health risks in the area.
Speaking during the meeting, the Director of Environment and Chairman of the session, Hon. Gabriel Etim, who represented the Executive Secretary of CUDA, Chief Ayi Effiong, stressed the importance of environmental protection and the need for collaboration between government authorities, host communities, and traders.
He noted that protecting the environment is a collective responsibility and called for urgent measures to restore order and sanitation within the affected corridor. He mentioned that many traders now abandon their rented shops to display goods on roadways and walkways, resulting in traffic congestion and risks to both pedestrians and motorists.
Etim specifically referenced activities around the T-Junction, where roadside trading and illegal structures have severely obstructed movement. He maintained that pedestrian walkways are public spaces meant to guarantee safe passage for residents and should not be converted into trading points.
While acknowledging the prevailing economic hardship in the country, Etim emphasized that the government is not opposed to residents earning a legitimate livelihood but insisted that all commercial activities must be conducted within approved and designated spaces.
Also speaking, the Director of Waste Management, Mr. Eastern Ekpeyong, highlighted the dangers posed by the indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels, warning that blocked drains could lead to severe flooding during the rainy season. He further condemned the erection of containers under high-tension power lines, describing the practice as unsafe and capable of causing serious disasters, including electrocution.
According to him, CUDA is considering introducing mobile toilet facilities within the area to curb open defecation and the indiscriminate disposal of human waste.
CUDA officials emphasized that approvals for container placement remain the exclusive responsibility of the agency and warned against the indiscriminate allocation of spaces on government green areas and road setbacks. The agency also advocated for stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, proper waste management systems, drain desilting, and improved sanitation practices.
Responding on behalf of the Ikot Ansa community, the Youth President, Mr. Joseph Akiba, acknowledged the concerns raised by CUDA and assured the agency of the community's willingness to cooperate in reorganizing trading activities around the affected area. He explained that the community had already begun engaging traders and local coordinators to ensure that goods displayed on tarred roads are relocated into designated shop spaces.
Also speaking, the Youth President Emeritus of the community, Dr. Henry Effiom, commended CUDA for initiating the engagement and called for a sustained partnership between the agency and the community. He proposed a structured registration process for traders, improved environmental sanitation measures, proper waste disposal systems, and coordinated enforcement to ensure compliance with government regulations.
The meeting ended with renewed commitments from both government officials and community stakeholders to work together toward improving environmental sanitation and urban orderliness within the axis.
By Miriam Esuabanga
