Eko Atlantic City
What was that nursery rhyme about the wise man building his house upon the rock? Not to be outdone, Kaduna State Govt has its own YouTube video about the Millenium City Project, here.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
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Oh my beloved Bar Beach. I have such great memories there, we spent every sunday frolicking in those dangerous waves, eating from the shack, watching the dancers entertain and taking long walks to look at the shipwreck, Sagittarius I think it was called. At that time the beach was filled with mainly expats and the after church crowd enjoying and relaxing by the powerful, mesmerizing surf. Never seen another beach like it and the shells were incredible, the biggest, pinkest most perfect I've ever come across.
sounds like Kansai International Airport Osaka, Japan ($13 billion)...an artificial island in the middle of osaka bay
Check it out here Balance
BUT in terms of Nigeria, corruption puts the whole idea at risk. Interms of safety, they need to dig really deep...
I watched this on Viasart the other evening and was very sad. The ex governor and his sidekick think they have it all down pat.
Corruption and Feudalism mean they think grandiose projects to rip us off. The International community has warned that the ocean floor levels will rise post global warming but all these guys want to do is follow an outdated development model and become rich in the process.
The Lagos state government is a corrupt machine .
Not only that but they also seem to be heartless uncaring morons. The 15 or more million people living in Lagos deserve better than gangsters who devise such means to rip off their own people. Always big projects .If not Eko City it is CCTV in Lagos at a cost of Billions.Like the federal government they always look for a project they can use to create a war chest or better still a tribute collection centre.
How this can be a priority in a time of shrinking economies and possible social unrest.
I'm sorry, I don't view this as either a good thing or a positive thing.
As for Kaduna state government, it seems people have forgotten the state of the populace.
In particular the children, who are the future and amongst the most defenseless people in society.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emy1QXQF9ms
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHGMZHjsseU&feature=channel_page
The ordinary people of Kaduna are being short changed. Their leaders have embarked upon the construction of a new Kaduna city. What was wrong with the old one? If some places need renovation, or upgrading no problem, but this doesn't justify the creation of a brand new city. The money could have been better spent servicing the needs of the people of the state, to all the various local government areas.
The on-going problem of violence based on the struggle for resources be it under the guise of religious/ethnic differences has not been addressed comprehensively.
With the planning, have they made allowances for those buildings that will be torched in forthcoming riots? Have they made space on the pavements for the ever-increasing number of al-majiris? Or have they come up with a solution to rid Kaduna state of them once and for all? If they have, they should share it with the other 35 states.
As for Lagos state and the new Eko City. Has anyone there heard of sustainability? This development throws up a whole load of questions.
Currently, the population of Lagos is estimated to be around 15 million (or there abouts), it is projected to grow to 25 million. Currently, there is inadequate provision of basic amenities ie clean drinking water,a reliable supply of electricity, not to mention non-existent sewerage system, and no mass rapid transport system ie a rail network, lack of hygiene and a warm and damp climate (ideal for spreading of disease), high crime rate. Given this scenario and the failure of the authorities to provide these things. How will life be with an additional 10 more million people? I'm afraid things will only get worse.
The fact that they have to reclaim land due to a shortage, points to the fact that the way things are going, means that it isn't sustainable. The coastal defense they are creating, what will happen when a waive larger than what was expected hits the coast? We saw how ill-prepared Indonesia and Sri Lanka were when the tsunami hit their shores. Nigeria is even less prepared and organised.
Would it not be better to encourage development in other state capitals to slow the rate of migration to Lagos, and introduce a population policy and restrict migration to the city? This would not be popular in the short term, but in the medium to long term the benefits would be all to apparent. To have so many people crammed into such a small area, with an economy that is not capable of sustaining a reasonable standard of living is a recipe for social strife, disorder and chaos. (This is why other nations have policies in place to check the growth of cities.)
This new "glitzy" project, may well be very impressive to the outsider and will benefit those few who can land juicy contracts. Our leaders may think development is ignoring the unglamorous needs of housing, employment and the provision of utilities in a reliable manner, and may think the new sky rise developments are a lot more attractive, but it's the ordinary things that impact one's existence the most. The ordinary man, will scarcely notice any benefits.
Is this the best use of money? How will all this be paid for? Why does no one challenge these projects? It may be a prestige development that the elite can use to boast about to others of their ilk around the world, but beyond that, does it yield the best value for the amount of money for as many people as possible?
Is this a responsible or fair use resources? Is this an appropriate development model for the country to follow? Didn't Nigeria go down this path in the wake of the oil-boom in the 70s and 80s and we can see the results of such policies today. This seems to be repeating that unsuccessful path.
My impression is that this is a privately driven and paid projects. It doesn't compare to the white elephant projects of the oil boom era. Visit the website at ekoatlantic.com and you will learn that private investors including Nigerian major banks are among the investors for the project.
Apart from this, there is a limit to what the state government can if the federal government is not playing its role.
Why don't you all get your facts right and stop being so pessimistic and negative!
This is what Nigeria needs...something to be proud of and something to aspire to...How can you ever achieve anything if you never dream? The closed mindedness that you all exhibit are exactly what is wrong with Nigeria. The entire project is being privately funded...LAGOS (not to mention NIGERIA)is BURSTING AT THE SEAMS! The infrastructure of everything is not well equipped enough to deal with the amount of people...the best way to fix it is to start afresh...starting afresh comes in more ways than one...demolishing buildings and creating a new heart of the city. Yes, there are other problems that need sorting but Nigeria has to keep up...she is punching way below her weight! How can Nigeria develop if she doesn't 'develop'?
Look at the positive things that will come of this...Job opportunities, an economical boost in the form of taxes/revenue, national pride, tourism. And so what if other cities are compying Lagos...competition is healthy...it breeds interdependence...something Nigeria so drastically needs!
@ Bade: what more can I say? I guess you have actually said it all! It baffles me when I see some of our so-called Nigerians being pessimistic like this. Some people don't even bother to investigate or research anything about the project before typing shit and rubbish here. So all the projects in Nigeria now are being undertaking by the Govt? Nigerians wake up...its time for development...See what's going on in Dubai...many of the football players in UK have invested money on properties in Dubai artificial island...this is what we need in Nigeria...Nigeria needs a landmark project/building that will make the whole world see that we are ready for development. Enough is enough...leave Fashola alone..and stop all these your pointless criticisms
I just paid a deposit for a plot at Eko atlantic. While some guys are still being pessimistic some are already moving on. That is truly the difference between the rich and the poor. Fo your info, Eko atlantic is funded by private sources and 80% of the property is already paid for by Nigerian ,Ghania, south African companies as well as International companies from Europe, Asia, USA, Middle East, Not to talk of Oil companies that see an opportunity to link this to the Lekki Free Port Zone, since Port Harcourt has been unmanageable for them. Lagos is about to boom again. Keep dreaming guys, we will be leaving there while you keep dreaming. I got a hint of VGC and Lekki in 1990 and I never believed it. Today I regret.
I believe the idea of reclaiming the land lost to Bar Beach had been on the drawing up for years so it is nice to see it coming to fruition. Plus this is all private money, so expect timely result. Not really a fan of Fashola but if he had a hand in this too, that guy is surely doing quite a few things right.
Thinker said..
another classic case of misplaced priority imagine the funds for the Eko Alantic City project been channeled into providing the very same infrastuctures -: 24 hours electricity, efficient and reliable transportation, clean water, world-class medic care, etc: in already inhabited / upcoming residential areas of Lagos, what a difference it would make
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