Anambra: Why I'm Silent over Soludo's Demolition of My Head Office, Showroom, Innoson Boss Speaks
- The head office and showroom of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) Company were recently demolished by the Anambra government due to a road dualisation exercise in the state
- Mixed reactions trailed the demolition, as parties involved traded accusations and counter-accusations
- But the chairman of IVM, Dr Innocent Chukwuma, told Legit.ng that he chooses to be silent on the matter pending when he will meet Governor Soludo, and trash the matter out with him
Awka, Anambra state - As tongues continue to wag over the demolition of the head office of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) company in Nnewi, Anambra state, by the firm handling the dualisation of Agulu-Nnobi-Nnewi-Ozubulu-Okija road project, facts have emerged on why the chairman of the company, Chief (Dr.) Innocent Chukwuma (Ifediaso Nnewi, Okpuzu) has not spoken up concerning the development.
A lot has been said about the destruction of the IVM structures, including its head office and the showroom located along Owerri road, Umudim, Nnewi.
Source: UGC
But Chief Chukwuma, in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng correspondent on Friday, April 25, said he chose to remain silent over the matter pending when he would meet face to face with Governor Charles Soludo.
He said:
"I cannot say anything now till I meet Governor Soludo and talk with him about what was demolished. He is my very good friend, and we do a lot of things together.
"A lot of people were saying one thing or the other concerning the matter, but their inciting disturbances cannot influence me to say what I should not say.
"I will meet with Mr. Governor over the demolition, and I believe our talks shall be fruitful. Until then, I reserve my comments."
Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, had condemned the demolition of Innoson's office and showroom, and went further to blame former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, and ex-Minister Oby Ezekwesili, for not speaking up over the demolition.
No pre-demolition notice served - Innoson spokesman
Meanwhile, spokesperson for Innoson Vehicles Manufacturing company, Mr Cornel Osigwe, had earlier denied that there was any pre-demolition notice served on the company by the Anambra government ahead of the exercise, adding that it came to them as a surprise.
According to him, the office perimeter fence, some offices, the staircase and the company’s showroom were affected by the partial demolition.
His words:
“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 vehicle demolishing the building while work was going on. Some of our staff were trapped in the building; it took the efforts of other staff to rescue those who 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 that they were going to give one week for the houses that were marked for demolition to relocate.
“There were other buildings that were close to our 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 could be due to a political witch-hunt, the IVM spokesman said he did not think the state government would intentionally decide to demolish the company's facilities.
“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 said.
Nnewi community leadership defends demolition
Nnewi community had, through its various leaders, including the president general of Otolo Nnewi community, Amobi Adupue, among others, defended the demolition, describing it as development in progress.
Adupue also clarified that the exercise affected the Central Police Station, Nnewi; the house of Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu and the house of her husband, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu; as well as OTC company, many residential and commercial buildings, worship centres, shops and business premises, etc and that nobody is talking about them.
Commissioner of information in the state, Law Mefor, insisted that the IVM company was notified since November 2024; while a meeting was also held a month before with all those whose properties were affected.
Mefor, in a press release, recently said the state government cannot create separate rules for rich people like Innoson, and another for poor people, but will treat all citizens equally.
Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma, the commissioner of works in Anambra, during a visit to the construction site recently, said that the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) head office building was among the buildings marked for demolition for road construction in the state.
Okoma explained that all the affected buildings were marked a long time ago, adding that the people were duly informed before the demolition exercise.
Source: Original
He said that even the Catholic church and every other building that are along the road were not going to be exonerated, adding that the roads were designed to decongest the traffic gridlock experienced during periods of festivities.
He emphasised that there was no political undertone behind the demolition exercise, as speculated, stressing that there is no issue or rift between the state government and IVM.
Innoson CEO speaks on creating another special
In another report, Innoson's CEO said that more Nigerians are buying electric cars because petrol prices are so high
He stated in an interview that the growing interest has motivated him to produce electric automobiles locally.
He claimed that the current status of the economy affects every person in the country
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Source: Legit.ng
Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.
Mokwugo Solomon (Anambra State Correspondent) Anambra's regional correspondent Mokwugwo Solomon is an Editor, Investigative Journalist, and Media Consultant, with a wealth of experience spanning 17 years. He bagged his B/Ed degree in English Education from University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University. After 17 years in various areas of journalism, Mokwugwo Solomon is now the Correspondent of Legit.ng in Anambra State, Nigeria, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. Contact him at: mokwugwosolomon@gmail.com OR: +2348063831036.
