Awka Janglover: A Symbol of Cosmetic Governance in a Failing System
In recent weeks, Governor Charles Soludo’s administration has saturated both social and traditional media with the fanfare surrounding Awka Fun City a leisure and amusement complex located in the Anambra State capital. Touted as a major milestone, the project has been branded with state colors, televised ribbon cuttings, and inflated rhetoric designed to portray it as a transformative achievement.
But the truth is stark and troubling: Awka Fun City is not a serious development. It is, at best, a decorative playground; at worst, a deflection from the core failures of governance under the Soludo administration. When an Amusement Park Becomes a Headline Achievement.
Governance is not theater. It is not meant to be defined by loud spectacles or cosmetic gestures. Any government that projects a leisure center as a landmark success betrays its disconnect from the fundamental needs of its people.
Anambra State is currently suffering under the weight of some of the most pressing challenges in the South East:
Unchecked insecurity, particularly in areas like Aguata, Ihiala, and parts of Nnewi South etc.
The collapse of rural infrastructure and underwhelming urban development.
Deteriorating investor confidence due to multiple taxation, official extortion, and insecurity.
Stagnant job creation, poor healthcare delivery, and neglected schools.
Against this bleak backdrop, the Soludo administration would have the public believe that the construction of a funfair is a sign of progress.
It is not.
Real Development Is Quiet but Profound: The Enugu for Example
Less than two years away, Enugu State under Governor Peter Mbah is demonstrating what real governance looks like. Without fanfare or PR overdrive, the Mbah administration is delivering sustainable, people-centered development:
Tech and Innovation Investment: Through the Enugu Tech and Innovation Hub, the state is positioning itself as a digital economy leader in the South-East.
Massive Infrastructure Rollout: Road construction projects both rural and urban are ongoing across multiple LGAs. These are not photo op projects but strategic economic arteries.
Security First Governance: By investing in community policing, surveillance technology, and strategic partnerships with security agencies, Enugu is regaining its place as a secure destination for business and leisure.
Notably, Enugu is also home to some of the most successful privately owned amusement and leisure centers in the region, including:
Oaklands Amusement Park
Kids ‘N’ Fun
Magic Garden
Dreamland Enugu
Jada Kinderpark
These investments thrive not because the government built them, but because the government created the right environment for private capital to flourish. That is the mark of intelligent governance.
Fun City Is Not a Development Strategy.
Contrary to what Soludo’s media team would have the public believe, Awka Fun City:
-Creates minimal economic value.
-Is seasonal and elitist in it’s utility.
-Does not address any of the core issues threatening Anambra’s development.
-Will struggle with maintenance and operational efficiency within a few years, becoming a white elephant like many before it.
A serious government cannot afford to parade a recreational facility as a flagship project when many parts of the state are still under the terror of unknown gunmen and communities lack basic healthcare and electricity.
Misplaced Priorities and Misguided Publicity
Rather than addressing the massive infrastructure deficits in areas like Anambra North and South, Nnewi, Onitsha, Ihiala etc or developing comprehensive plans for industrialization, youth empowerment, or agricultural revival, the Soludo administration is playing to the gallery.
Governance cannot be reduced to colorful stages and roller coasters while:
Civil servants remain unpaid in some LGAs.
Public schools crumble.
Internal security is outsourced to vigilantes.
Local government autonomy remains nonexistent.
This is governance by distraction, not direction.
Time to Demand Serious Leadership
Anambra is a state with potential. But that potential is being suffocated by a government that prioritizes optics over outcome, decoration over direction.
If Governor Soludo truly desires to leave a legacy, let it not be in the form of water slides and amusement rides. Let it be in the building of roads, the empowerment of industries, the restoration of public trust, and the establishment of true investor confidence.
Until then, Awka Fun City will remain what it is: a symbol of everything that is wrong with leadership obsessed with applause instead of results.
SOFIG MEDIA OFFICE
