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Communities seek approval for commencement of $2.75b industrial project

By Adaku Onyenucheya
31 March 2021   |   4:09 am
Communities in the Snake Island area namely Imoore, Ibasa, Ilashe and Igbologun have appealed to the Lagos State Government to approve the commencement of the $2.75 billion Creek Industrial Estate (CIE) project.

Public Relations/Marketing Officer of Mercury Maritime Concession Company Limited, (MMCC), Magdalene Amedu, (left); Lagos State Commissioner for Waterfronts Infrastructure Development, Kabiru Abdullahi; Chairman of MMCC, Rear Admiral Andrew Okoja (Rtd) and representative of Ibasa community Adewunmi Otunba Alade with other chiefs of the Snake Island communities during a visit to the Lagos State Government.

Communities in the Snake Island area namely Imoore, Ibasa, Ilashe and Igbologun have appealed to the Lagos State Government to approve the commencement of the $2.75 billion Creek Industrial Estate (CIE) project.

The rulers of the communities made the appeal during a recent visit to the office of the Commissioner for Waterfronts Infrastructure Development, Kabiru Abdullahi, at Alausa, Lagos.

They sought clarification on the delay of the project that would benefit their people. The CIE project in Snake Island is a proposed 1, 700-hectare integrated real estate development estimated at $2.75 billion.

It is focused on delivering maintenance dredging service to serve the shipping segment, ferry boat transport services, efficient roads and link bridges and efficient power generation through an independent power plant. Others are social infrastructure, portable water supply and tunnel projects, among other benefits.

The Island will be linked by a three-kilometer dual-carriage bridge to the mainland. Chairman of the board of trustees of Igbologun communities, Alhaji Kamoru Bolarinwa, said the CIE project was brought to them with a bridge project to the bargain but that they have heard no news about the commencement of the project in recent times.

“For over 400 years running, we have depended on water transport to and from our communities. The Mercury Maritime Concession Company told us about the CIE project and aside from the industries and job opportunities that we look forward to; the most important thing we seek is the construction of the bridge linking the Island to mainland. If that is all we get, we will be most grateful,” he stated.

Also speaking, Adewunmi Otunba Alade who represented Ibasa community, noted that they have waited in suspense to see the commencement of the project but to no avail and are hoping it does not turn out to be a mirage.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Mercury Maritime Concession Company (MMCC), Rear Admiral Andrew Okoja (Rtd) who was on ground with his team to brief the Commissioner on the state of the project, said the project would bring many benefits to the communities concerned.

He added that it would further increase internally generated revenue for the state through the various industries and other commercial activities that the Creek Industrial Estate project holds.

He said the CIE Project, will be funded by Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) sourced from Switzerland, China and United Bank for Africa (Nigeria).

Okoja noted that the project promises impressive deliverables valued at over $10billion in actual and collateral benefits.

“The CIE is a tripartite partnership project driven by the federal government, Lagos State government the MMCC. It is instructive to note that the federal government has formally expressed willingness to concession its own portion of the Snake Island to MMCC to develop the CIE.

“Consequently, upon this development, a formal letter was written to Lagos State Government to confirm her willingness to concession their part to enable CIE project take off in earnest. It is instructive to note that LASG response to this FG’s letter has been pending since April 27, 2018,” Okoja stated.

Responding, the Commissioner for Waterfronts Infrastructure Development, said the CIE project is part of the rebuilding of Lagos into another Dubai. He said the request of the Snake Island communities would be made known to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

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