By TOM CHIAHEMEN, Abuja –
A major step to achieving Nigeria’s vision to create a smart city of the future along the lines of Dubai, Monaco and Singapore was taken at the weekend with the official engagement of construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc to provide critical infrastructure to the Abuja Centenary City.
The Phase 1 Primary Infrastructure which is to cost N750 billion, will be executed in lots, Lot 1 includes the Plot Access Road of 4.3 km and the Secondary Infrastructure of The Grove Residences, The Safari Park Residences and The Ridge Villas.
Besides Julius Berger, Messers Dar Al-Handasah Consultants (DAR), which coordinated the master plan of the city, was retained to execute the Detailed Engineering Design of the entire project.
Managing Director of Centenary City Plc, Dr. Odenigwe Ike Michaels Jnr, who spoke to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, disclosed that the project, originally envisaged to cost about $1.6billion, when completed, would create over 300,000 direct job opportunities to Nigerians.
The Managing Director of Centenary City Plc, Dr. Odenigwe Ike Micheals Jr. (center) Flanked by representatives of other stakeholders while addressing Journalists during the briefing on latest development on the Centenary City Project on Tuesday held at the City, Abuja
With a completion period of 15 years, the Centenary City is conceptualized as the foremost Abuja Urban Renewable Project and, according to Dr. Odenigwe, “the idea of engaging these reputable companies is to guarantee the development of the city according to the vision reflected in the original master plan.
He said: “The Centenary City Project presents a great opportunity to create value and raise Abuja’s profile – to encourage international investment in Abuja. The project is designed to work in harmony with nature. The districts and communities are designed to fit in among the natural landscape, offering both an impressive downtown skyline and peaceful suburban living.
“The city is conceptualized as a truly multifunctional development that offers a complete cosmopolitan lifestyle to its residents, as well as serves as a tourism hub for the wider community.”
He outlined some of the key components of Centenary City to include:
- Five Star Hotels, Luxury Serviced Apartments and Residences
- International Commerce Centre (ICC)
- Centenary International Convention Center (CICC)
- Mall of Africa
- Championship Golf Course and Golf Estate
- Championship Polo Courses and Polo Estate
- Nigeria Park
- Safari Park
- Industrial Park
- African Arts Museum
- Entertainment District and Amusement Park
- Various Healthcare and Educational facilities
- Extensive and broad variety of residential dwellings
He announced that after a pause in the development and construction, this private-sector driven project “is now back on track with the promise to redefine sub-Saharan Africa’s skyline and enhance Nigeria’s global standing in urban development”
GROUP PHOTGRAPH SHOWS: FORMER PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI (5TH R); VICE PRESIDENT YEMI OSINBAJO (5TH L); CHAIRMAN, CENTINARY CITY BOARD, GEN. ABDULSALAMI ABUBAKAR (4TH R) AND BOARD MEMBERS OF CENTINARY CITY, DURING THEIR MEETING WITH PRESIDENT AT THE PRESIDENTIAL VILLA IN ABUJA ON AUGUST 29, 205
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While hailing the visionary leadership of the Minister of the federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Nysom Wike, who encouraged masterly and sustainable development in FCT, Odeigwe also acknowledged the unwavering support of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, “who sees the true meaning of modern urban renewal in the project.”
‘‘We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Julius Berger and DAR and are committed to working with their expert teams to begin and finalize the primary infrastructure of Centenary Economic City Free Zone in line with the Board of Director’s vision to provide state-of-the-art infrastructure as well as seamless, safe and sustainable smart city solutions,” he added.
The Managing Director of the Centenary City Plc, also invited the general public to witness “a dramatic progress in this long-awaited amazing project.”
The centenary city, which is to be built from scratch on 1,260 hectares of virgin land located several kilometers southwest of Abuja and five kilometers from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, was conceived as a legacy project to mark the 100 year anniversary of Nigeria by January 1, 2014, during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
It is conceived to have a mixed-use urban center, a central business district, a financial center, a museum and cultural center to promote African and global arts, world-class hotels, Grade A offices, residential districts, an 18-hole golf course, polo and country club, an international convention center, sports and leisure facilities, a safari Park, educational institutions, healthcare, and community amenities.
During the Buhari administration, the Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA), declared the Centenary City an Economic City and approved for Free Trade Zone (FTZ) status.
Besides the Centenary City, over 30 other FTZ were licensed by NEPZA as government’s way of helping to boost the economy and attract foreign direct investments (FDI).
