Eko Atlantic City ready for business next year

Gradually moving away from a dream to becoming a reality, the first set of office buildings at the famous Eko Atlantic City would be ready for occupation next year. Already, the project concessionaire has offered for sale some of the ongoing infrastructure, which would serve as offices.

Among the projects in advanced stages are the Afren headquarters building, a skyscraper, which is presently at its 16th floor of construction, and likely to be completed next year.

Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure, Segun Oniru, who gave an update on development of the Eko Atlantic City, said aside the Afren building, another project, Eko Pearl Towers, is also rising into the sky.

According to Oniru, the project is no longer a mere idea, “it is now a reality as a significant progress has been made with ongoing construction of various infrastructures such as storm water drainage, installation at 79 per cent, sewage pipe installation at 40 per cent, water supply pipe installation at 21 per cent, and telecoms ducts installation at 27 per cent.”

Oniru, who described the new city as “the most impressive urban development project in Africa” said “the ongoing construction work include buildings owned by ITB, wEko Atlantic City ready for business next yearhich is presently at the 16th floor, as well as Eko Pearl Towers presently at its 5th floor of which the concessionaire has offered for sale and has attracted significant rate of subscribers.”

The commissioner disclosed that of the total land size to be reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean (almost twice of the land size of Victoria Island), about 5,184,999 sqm had been reclaimed as at October 2014, and 33 million cubic metres of sand pumped since commencement of phase one of the reclamation in November 2011, while total sand pumped in both phase one and two was in excess of 58 million cubic metres.

The project coming with an added advantage of decongesting and protecting Victoria Island from danger of frequent ocean surge, upon its completion, would host an estimated 250,000 people who would live and work within the city. It is projected that about 150,000 people would commute to and fro the city daily.

The multi-billion dollar new city project being undertaken by South Energyx Nigeria Ltd, a subsidiary of the Chagoury group, in collaboration with Lagos State government, is to be protected by an 8.4 kilometre long sea defence revetment to be known as “Great Wall of Lagos” that would serve as a barricade against the rioting ocean.