DSCTDA Begins Koka Roundabout Crackdown, Warns Against Roadside Trading & Encroachment
By PAULINA NZERUBE
THE Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency (DSCTDA) has begun enforcement and clearance operations at Koka Roundabout in Asaba.
The exercise targets illegal trading, unauthorised roadside activities and other forms of encroachment on public spaces.
DSCTDA commenced the operation on Monday as part of efforts to restore order around the Koka Interchange and its adjoining corridors.
Director-General of the agency, Chief Patrick Ukah, directed the exercise.
Public Watch Consultants, led by its Head, Francis Igho, is carrying out the operation as a private sector participant engaged by the agency.
The firm will focus on maintaining environmental standards around the interchange and its corridors.
Meanwhile, DSCTDA Head of Environment, Isaac Nwosu, is overseeing the environmental component of the operation.
Government Targets Disorder Around Koka
Mr. Ukah said the exercise seeks to restore order and improve sanitation around one of Asaba’s major public spaces.
He also linked the operation to public safety and security.
According to him, the government wants residents and road users to enjoy safer public spaces while improving the appearance of the capital territory.
The enforcement will also continue beyond the current operation.
Ukah warned that the exercise has no terminal date.
He urged residents to stop using public spaces illegally within the Koka axis.
The agency, he said, would maintain zero tolerance for further violations.
Abatement Notices Expired
Mr. Nwosu explained that the agency began the enforcement after the expiration of abatement notices issued to affected persons.
Those targeted include illegal traders, unauthorised commercial tricycle operators, roadside occupants and motorists who load or offload passengers in prohibited areas.
The agency has therefore moved from warnings to enforcement.
At the same time, sanitation activities will continue around the cleared locations.
Nwosu said workers would maintain regular sweeping and evacuate refuse from the affected areas.
The agency is also engaging community leaders to achieve the peaceful relocation of homeless persons and labourers occupying unauthorised spaces.
Security Teams to Remain on Ground
The operation will not end with the initial clearance.
Mr Igho said security personnel and task force members would remain at locations already cleared.
Their presence will help prevent fresh encroachment and ensure that traders and other operators do not immediately return to the spaces.
The operation will also extend to adjoining sections of the Koka corridor.
That approach could help the agency address encroachment beyond the immediate roundabout.
It also signals a broader attempt to maintain the gains of the clearance exercise.
Transport Operators Seek Alternative
The enforcement, however, has raised concerns among some affected transport operators.
A commercial transport operator, Charles Ijeh, appealed to the state government to provide designated motor parks for operators displaced by the exercise.
Ijeh said the affected operators belong to a national transport union and remit revenue to government.
He argued that designated parks would allow them to continue their businesses legally.
Such facilities, he added, could also reduce roadside congestion.
His appeal highlights the challenge facing authorities whenever government removes roadside operators without providing alternative locations.
While enforcement can improve traffic and sanitation, designated spaces could help affected businesses comply with regulations.
Agency Defends Continuous Enforcement
The Manager, Administration and Finance, Vincent Ohwofadjeke, said the enforcement remained necessary.
He said the operation would help protect public spaces and strengthen sanitation.
It would also support better traffic management and public safety across Asaba.
For DSCTDA, the Koka operation therefore goes beyond removing roadside traders.
It forms part of a wider effort to regulate the use of public spaces in the capital territory.
The agency has warned residents and commercial operators that the enforcement will continue.
The immediate challenge will be to sustain the cleared areas while balancing enforcement with practical alternatives for affected transport operators and other legitimate businesses.
