POST ALL NEWS UPDATES ABOUT EKO ATLANTIC CITY

Expanding Lagos Into the Atlantic
Written by Demola Abimboye

By 2016, Lagos will get a new city to be built on nine million square metres of reclaimed land about 2.4 kilometres into the Atlantic Ocean, south of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island

It promises to be Nigeria’s most ambitious city on reclaimed land and one of Africa’s biggest marine engineering projects. Between now and 2016, about nine million square metres of land would be reclaimed 2.4 kilometres south of Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos, into the Atlantic Ocean. The planned city is one and a half times the size of current Victoria Island. When completed, the new island would be called Eko Atlantic City. It is estimated to accommodate 250,000 residents and 150,000 commuters.

Already, 1.3 million square metres of prime land has been reclaimed. This has convinced many Nigerians of the viability of the project. Thus, many wealthy individuals and corporate bodies have bought plots of land ahead of completion schedule. The ambitious project is being undertaken by South Energyx Nigeria Limited, SENL, a subsidiary of the Chaghoury Group, which has been highly active in Nigeria for over 30 years. The group has handled many major construction and engineering works. SENL and the development of Eko Atlantic project were recognised by the Clinton Global Initiative in 2009 as committed to combating the threat of flooding to Victoria Island from rising sea levels.

For the success of Eko Atlantic City project, SENL boasts of partnership with some of the world’s experts in marine engineering, land reclamation and city design as well as strong financial backing. Royal Haskoning, a firm of Dutch architects and engineers, is involved while Dredging International, a Belgian company, is shouldering the massive landfill operation.

Four banks - three local and one international - are providing financial support for the entirely private sector project. These are First Bank PLC, Guaranty Trust Bank PLC, First City Monument Bank PLC and BNP Paribas Fortis of France. Diya, Fatimilehin & Co, a firm of estate surveyors and valuers, is marketing the gigantic prime real estate business.

Marc Chaghouri of SENL told Newswatch that the concept is to create an international standard city. The city will cover seven districts: Ocean Front, Harbour Lights, Business District, Eko Drive, Marina, Avenues and Downtown.

The business district will be spread across 1.3 million square metres dedicated to providing West Africa with a world class commercial hub. At the heart of this district will be the Eko Atlantic financial centre, “a key to success and prosperity.” The centre’s imposing towers will house corporate headquarters-banks, insurance companies, a room for stock exchange and hotels. “It will open a new vista for Nigeria and Africa,” Chaghouri said, adding: “The city will provide world class property in a world class environment where people can live and work in harmony.”

The city’s planners have incorporated round the clock independent power generation, central water supply and sewage disposal systems into the scheme. With a global certificate of occupancy already given by the Lagos State government, the developers have created a specialised planning unit to streamline an approval process and ensure quality of construction and integrity of each development.

There will be a light rail system with 60 stops throughout the city and canals for light ferry services. And aside a network of roads to ensure free traffic flow, every building must have basement parking spaces for its occupants and visitors. “Eko Atlantic City will have zero tolerance for street parking,” Chaghouri said.

To protect the new city against ocean surge, SENL is building a sea barrier which it fondly refers to as the Great Wall of Lagos. The 6.5 kilometre long wall was designed by Royal Haskoning and tested in Denmark by the world renowned Danish Hydraulic Institute, DHI. Chaghouri said the result proved that “it can withstand the worst storm imaginable in a thousand years.” The Great Wall is already one kilometre long when Newswatch visited last week.

Chaghouri said further that in building the wall, his company took cognisance of the chronic erosion of the Bar Beach which reached an unbearable peak in 2005 with severe threat of flooding. To check further erosion, a shoreline protection wall running along the entire length of the beach was built. Yet the ocean remained a threat to Victoria Island. It was against this backdrop that the idea of Eko Atlantic City emerged principally to restore the shoreline to where it was 100 years ago and build a world class city on reclaimed land.

Consequently, the Bola Tinubu administration granted SENL the concession to reclaim and develop land for the city in 2006. Since then, the company has recorded a huge success. Kolawole Diya of Diya, Fatimilehin & Co, marketing consultants to SENL on the prime real estate, said more that 1.3 million square metres of land is already visible and up for sale at between $825 and $1,600 per square metre.

He said it was denominated in dollar to protect buyers against fluctuations in the Naira exchange rate. He explained that since the rate is not static but changes regularly at the auctions by the Central Bank of Nigeria, buyers would be adequately protected against the vagaries in the financial supermarkets should the local currency depreciate sharply.

“We are proud of our currency but property transactions in commercial nerve centres of the world are being denominated in dollars. And Nigerian professionals have keyed in, more so, as thousands of foreigners and foreign companies are expected to own properties in Eko Atlantic City, Nigeria’s new gateway into Africa in the 21st century,” he said.

Victoria Island was originally surrounded by water – Atlantic Ocean in the south, the mouth of the Lagos Lagoon to the west, the five Cowrie Creek to the north and swamps on the east. The colonial government filled the eastern swamps to reduce mosquito breeding areas. This created a land bridge between the island and Lekki peninsula, thus ending its existence as a true island.

After independence, successive state governments expanded this development, culminating in the construction of a high way linking Victoria Island to Epe. VI, as it is popularly called, was initially intended for suburban residential development but became an attractive location for financial institutions and other businesses in the 1970s. The rapid expansion seriously outstretched limited amenities and resources. The developers of the new city hope to have independently reliable infrastructure to avoid the mistakes of the past without the government investing its scarce funds in it.

http://www.newswatchngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2422&Itemid=1

New York is known for its taxis...london for its buses...and lagos might be known for its light rail. according to the article Eko Atlantic city alone will have 60 light rail stations. also LAMATA is going to build another 7 lines of light rail with each having 25+ stations, separate from the Eko Atlantic rails.

:banana: :banana: 1.3 million/9 million...
That is progress >.>>>>


http://s01.flagcounter.com/count/Ka1/bg_FFFFFF/txt_000000/border_CCCCCC/columns_6/maxflags_24/viewers_0/labels_1/pageviews_0/flags_0/ (http://s01.flagcounter.com/more/Ka1)

http://s10.flagcounter.com/map/PA3/size_m/txt_000000/border_CCCCCC/pageviews_0/viewers_Viewers+from/ (http://s10.flagcounter.com/more/PA3)

They should work them out according to plans. I want to see them happening but it's hard to find better evidences which support news.

Then what do we post in the Eko Atlantic City II thread?

but great update man. :applause:

lol sorry...i completely forgot about that thread.lol

I saw on CNN international i-list the Eko Atlantic City being among one of the sponsors. It's good to know that the project is a reality. After seeing that I have the guarantee this project will really be finished. My only advice for the govt. and the private investors involved is to expedite action on constructing this project according to plan.

A city from the sea: Gradually, Lagos builds fresh metropolis from the Atlantic
By TESSY IGOMU

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/images/sea-13.gif

With a steady force, whitish sand thrusts forth from the bottom of the ocean through giant underwater pipes. The sand is then ferried to the other side of the ocean and gradually dumped in the sea. As the sand stretches far into the other side of the Atlantic Ocean by the Lagos Bar Beach, the reality of the Eko Atlantic City project becomes more glaring.

Eko Atlantic City Project is a private sector funded development conceived and facilitated by the Lagos State government. Funding for the project, Daily Sun learnt is sourced through private equity and loans from financial institutions like First Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Plc and BNP Paribas Fortis of France.

Described as the most ambitious project in Africa, it is expected to emerge over eight square kilometres of reclaimed land along the Bar Beach, Victoria Island. Already, 1.3 million square metres of prime land has been reclaimed. The planned city is one and a half times the size of current Victoria Island and is expected to set a new standard of living and working in West Africa.

Aside expectations that it would restore lost coastline that eroded since 1905 as well as provide permanent solution to the menace of ocean surge through a sea wall under construction, the city is expected to provide residential accommodation for 250,000 people and employment for another 50,000.

For years, persistent ocean surge has made life in the vicinity of the Bar Beach very unpalatable. Most houses in the area have been abandoned, while some are showing serious signs of disintegration. The project is, however, expected to raise the value of structures in the area and protect them from the menacing effect of ocean surge.

While many people have described it as a white elephant project that might not be attainable, some people have bought into the idea by purchasing some plots for development.

According to Daily Sun findings, the project will on completion have a round-the-clock independent power generation, water supply, fire service, security, entertainment centres, sewage disposal and maintenance systems. There would be a public light railway system, which will have 60 stops throughout the city and a network of internal roads. There would also be a network of fibre optic cables that will connect state of the art telecommunications as well as an internal citywide waterway.

While unveiling the project, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola said he anticipates enormous social and economic benefits after the completion of the project.

He explained further that the concept is to provide needed amenities that will enhance tourism attraction and relaxation opportunities.

Fashola believes that the emergence of the city is expected to relieve pressure on the increasing population of the state and further confirm Lagos as the fastest growing mega city in the world.

“Investment in homes, businesses and tourism will flourish in the safe, clean and sustainable environment,” he said.

According to Mr. David Frame, Managing Director of South Energy X Limited, the contractor, the tourism appeal of the Bar Beach would be restored and the defences would be extended into the open sea, a mile and half offshore for reclamation.

He disclosed that the western boundary of the development would stretch from the existing mole constructed between 1905 and 1908, to protect the entrance to the Lagos Harbour as well as incorporate a large portion of the Marina with access to the sea.

The Ahmadu Bello Way, which is on the northern boundary of the project, he explained, would be widened to an eight-lane highway to be known as 'Coastal Road'.

“Eko Atlantic is a dynamic new city that will be built on reclaimed land and aims to provide world-class property with modern and independently reliable infrastructure to an area in high demand. It's an environmentally conscious development with compliance with international standards for city development,” he stated.

Frame noted that the Eko Atlantic footprint would be similar to that of the Manhattan in New York City, US, explaining that the giant sea wall is a large-scale marine work and engineering masterpiece designed to meet the highest international specifications and to withstand the worst imaginable Atlantic storm.

“The sea wall will act as a shield for the whole of Lagos. It is seven kilometres long and 60 metres wide at base level where the force of the ocean is greatest. It towers nine metres above the sea level and will be a stunning landmark in the new city. This powerful sea defence will stretch 6.5 kilometres. The design of the city will raise the standard of infrastructure in Lagos to a sophisticated level through its finely-structured urban plan that will create a balanced, environmentally friendly and efficient blueprint for a comfortable living. The city will be a reflection of our responsibility to the environment. It will be sustainable, clean and energy efficient with minimal carbon emissions,” Frame said.

He urged the public, especially real estate developers as well as multinationals and corporate organisations to start investing in the project.

The possibility of negative environmental impacts was dispelled by the Sales Manager of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, Marc Chaghouri, who disclosed that all scientific calculations and investigations have already been concluded.

“Extensive tests of the Eko Atlantic sea defence system were conducted in Denmark at the Danish Hydraulic Institute. Scale models of a section of the seven kilometres sea wall to protect the city withstood the worst storm Lagos could expect to face in 100 years.

Under the scheme, each of the proposed seven districts of the city would display its own unique characteristics. Infrastructure design will be standardized across the city by a specialized planning unit which would streamline approval process to ensure the quality of construction and the integrity of each development,” he said.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/citysun/2010/oct/13/citysun-13-10-2010-001.htm

completion date?

^^land reclamation should be 100% completed by 2015-16....but construction of buildings should start commencing by next year 2011... the whole eko atlantic will be 100% functional by 2030...this is a HUGE project... its being built in phases so as one phase is functional another phase will be under construction.

^^land reclamation should be 100% completed by 2015-16....but construction of buildings should start commencing by next year 2011... the whole eko atlantic will be 100% functional by 2030...this is a HUGE project... its being built in phases so as one phase is functional another phase will be under construction.

yeah, i just saw it on youtube. 6 years for the dredging. Its 4 miles by 1.5 miles, its hard for me to picture just exactly how big that it is.

I dont get it, how can they can start construction before that?

And is there a masterplan or any other big projects for the rest of Lagos? What I wouldnt want to happen is the rest of Lagos to get neglected.

The governor of Lagos should go to Sao Paulo and see how a mega-city should NOT develop like. I think Sao Paulo can teach many African mega-cities a lesson in this respect. The city grew so fast and disorganised.

^^
That is because it is huge.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_cities/lagos.jpg

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=535&q=Victoria+island,+lagos+map&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il

Victoria Island is the "island" in the south.

Eko Atlantic will be 1.5 times larger.

^^
That is because it is huge.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_cities/lagos.jpg

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1280&bih=535&q=Victoria+island,+lagos+map&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=il

Victoria Island is the "island" in the south.

Eko Atlantic will be 1.5 times larger.

Had no idea VI was that small.

So what have they already started constructing in Eko?

Had no idea VI was that small.

So what have they already started constructing in Eko?

^^land reclamation should be 100% completed by 2015-16....but construction of buildings should start commencing by next year 2011... the whole eko atlantic will be 100% functional by 2030...this is a HUGE project... its being built in phases so as one phase is functional another phase will be under construction.

popa u need some glasses.....no construction of anything yet

In Nigeria, a new Manhattan grows in the sand

Lagos - Nigeria has decided to show the world that her confidence is growing every day. On the coast of Lagos, Nigeria slowly builds a new city built on an artificial embankment. Home user will find more than 250 thousand people. The city on the sand has the ambition to become a center of trade, technologies and meet the rich people of Nigeria and international companies. The current size of Victoria Island city doubles.

The place where the town created into which is inserted many Nigerians hope navezeny were already tens of thousands of cubic meters of sand and water extracted from the ocean floor. Heavy machinery relentlessly reinforces the terrain and makes its way to the sea area. "We have created a sand mound on the desktop million and four hundred thousand square meters, a total of nine million square meters," said the director of Energex South Nigeria, David Frame.

Climate change does not jeopardize the city

Undaunted, the developers or climate change. Eko Atlantic City, said all the weather the disaster. "In tests we set the criteria so that the city endured the worst storms in the foreseeable perspective hundred years. We tested it to conditions in the next two hundred years, even for a millennium and the model remained intact," says Frame.

Eko Atlantic City project does not deny a role model in Manhattan. Started two years ago and wants to become a new gateway to Africa. It is funded by some Nigerian banks and the French BNP Paribas. To be finished in 2016.

Commercial Manager of South Energex Nigeria Valentina Halimová: "We sold 13 percent of the land. When you look at the schedule, you see flags that indicate the parcel sold."

Video in the link :)

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.ct24.cz/svet/106475-v-nigerii-roste-novy-manhattan-na-pisku/video/1/

In Nigeria, a new Manhattan grows in the sand





Video in the link :)

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.ct24.cz/svet/106475-v-nigerii-roste-novy-manhattan-na-pisku/video/1/


It's great to see that the project continues to get more publicity. I wish I could understand what they were saying in the video.

Scramble as Eko Atlantic City emerges from the sea


http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Thumbnailer.aspx?image=\\fsvs02\target02\347050\www.inlng.com\web\content\\\DailyIndependent\resources\images\Property%20200910.jpg&width=380&height=230&suffix=_thumb
• An impression of the Eko Atlantic City’s Financial Centre on completion (top), land reclamation in progress (bottom left) and aerial view of the project so far (bottom right).

By Michael Simire Property & Environment Editor



Better days are apparently underway for residents of Lagos, the nation’s economic nerve centre, where a new urban enclave is emerging from the depths of the seas.
Fashioned in a concept akin to those of “The World” and “The Palms” in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are being built on reclaimed land, the multi-billion-dollar “Eko Atlantic City” looks set to transform the fortunes as well as skyline of the crowded Nigerian urban destination.
Even though land reclamation and recovery is only about 20 percent completed, 11 percent of the total land area has reportedly been snapped up by investors. Similarly, banks and oil & gas concerns are said to be eyeing the novel enclave as a new and befitting site for their corporate head offices.
Sand-filling for the entire project is expected to be completed by 2016, even though over 1.3 million square meters of land is already visible and is up for grabs. The city will become home to 250,000 residents and plied by 150,000 commuters.
The project is located close to Victoria Island (VI), which was initially intended as a suburban housing development but became attractive to financial institutions and other businesses, a development that exerted pressure on its limited amenities. Similarly, the erosion of the sea front at Bar Beach had given a cause for concern.
Limited successes recorded by a shoreline protection plan for VI in part informed the need for the Eko Atlantic City project, which is expected to throw the much-needed lifeline to Victoria Island by restoring the embattled shoreline to where it was some 100 years ago and build a world-class city on reclaimed land.
But the much-vaunted initiative may have unwittingly sounded the death knell for VI, which observers predict would no longer be the number one business destination choice and hence experience a considerable drop in property values.
Eko Atlantic City is being built on nine million square meters of reclaimed land and aims to provide modern infrastructure. It will be split into seven districts; including a Central Business District (CBD) that will stand on 1.3 million square meters of land. The seven districts are: Ocean Front, Harbour Lights, CBD, Eko Drive, Marina, Avenues and Downtown.
A sea defense system, christened “The Great Wall of Lagos,” is designed to withstand extreme storms over a 100-year cycle. It stretches 6.5 kilometres and is being built a mile and a half off-shore. Already, the wall is over a kilometre long. It was designed by Dutch specialists Royal Haskoning and tested in Denmark by the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI).
Marc Chaghouri of South Energyx Nigeria Limited, who are project developers, said, “The city will feature an independent power generation and water supply, sewage disposal and maintenance systems, security, a public light railway system (which will have 60 stops throughout the city), and a network of internal roads designed to ensure free flowing traffic. Eko Atlantic city will have zero tolerance for street parking. A network of fibre optic cables will connect state-of-the art telecommunications and an internal city-wide waterway will be linked to three marinas.”
The developers are creating a specialised planning unit to streamline an approval process and to ensure the quality of construction and the integrity of each development.
SENL, a firm of developers and city planners, and a member of the Chaghouri Group, is developing the project, which will feature an impressive skyscape of towers that make up the Eko Atlantic Financial Centre, forming the first set of buildings to rise from the newly reclaimed land.
The Financial Centre will house corporate headquarters, banks, insurance companies, oil and gas sector operatives, stock exchange, convention centre, auditoriums and hotels
SENL was granted the concession to reclaim and develop the land for Eko Atlantic City by the Lagos State Government in what was described as an entirely private sector-funded scheme that First Bank, FCMB, GT Bank and BNP Paribas Fortis are jointly bankrolling.
Dutch firm of consultants, architects and engineers, Royal Haskoning, is partnering with SENL, while the Belgian company, Dredging International, is handling the landfill operation. SENL and the development of Eko Atlantic were recognised by the Clinton Global Initiative in 2009 as committed to combating the threat of flooding to Victoria Island in Lagos from rising sea levels through the negative effects of climate change.

what is in that video, i've been trying to get it to work since yesterday

any chance you can upload it to youtube.

The future city on the edge

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg&STREAMOID=Cd7XAqdh_j$0QiVdeDNaqS6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxT$iwolcffHAQNDtOEA1IYZnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-

Site of Eko Atlantic City Photo: ALLWELL OKPI

By Allwell Okpi

Intermittently, the waves of the Atlantic Ocean hits the Bar Beach, often quite violently, moving things on its path, including people visiting the beach, some of whom have drowned in it. Nevertheless, since 2001, holiday after holiday, Chiagozie Emenike, like many other fun-seekers, goes to Lagos' most popular beach to play.

But that will not continue for long.

About a kilometre into the sea, tons of sand is being pumped from the sea bed to fill the about eight-metre deep reclamation area bounded by already constructed moles, to form the platform on which a luxurious city, Eko Atlantic City, will rise.

As the vessels of China Communications Construction Group, renowned for marine dredging and landfill operations, pump 80,000 tons of sand daily to meet the 140 million tons target in the next four years, the developers, South Energyx, are busy selling plots of land off the design prepared by consultants, architects, and engineers in the Netherlands. At the same time, environmentalists are raising concerns over the sustainability of the city in the face of sea level rise resulting from the melting of the polar ice caps, induced by global warming.

A city in danger

According to Larry Awosika, head of Marine Geology and Geophysics, Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research, NIOMR, the city, which is proposed to be nine square kilometres, containing both residential and commercial districts, will be at risk, not only due to the gradual rising of the Atlantic Ocean, but also the strong waves that will be hitting the city.

"The littoral drift, the movement of sediments down drift in the near shore zone (from the Ghanaian coastal area down to Nigeria), is reducing because a lot of the sediments are now being trapped due to the building of ports at Benin Republic and Togo. So, whatever little sediment that is getting here are now being trapped.

"And from Lagos all the way to Benin River, there is no source of sediments. You are now taking the little sediments that have been deposited there for millions of years. What's going to happen? You are destabilising the ecosystem and the dynamics of the near shore zone," he said.

This, Mr. Awosika said, will result in stronger wave activity on the coast, putting the city and properties along the coastline at risk.

"If there were natural sediments that were coming to replenish the area, it would have been a different thing. Our advice has been, protect the beach and go and develop the kind of city you want somewhere else," he said.

Nothing to worry about

However, contrary to the fear raised by environments, the Lagos State government has listed the Eko Atlantic City as one of its major efforts towards arresting the impact of climate change.

The state commissioner for environment, Muiz Banire, said the development of the city is a cost-effective way of stopping coastal erosion, considering that government is spending money on the project, which is being handled by a private developer.

"What we have been doing over the years along the coastline to fight coastal erosion is to pump sand, and when you come back, you see that sea has taken the place back, and government was spending a lot of money to do that. So we arrived on a decision to reclaim the land and restore the shoreline to where it was about 100 years ago and develop this city, the Eko Atlantic City, as a permanent solution to the coast erosion," he said.

According to the state commissioner for water front infrastructure, Adesegun Oniru, there is no need to fear because a lot of tests, including environmental impact assessment, were conducted before the start of the project; and the sea wall (nine metres above water level), which will be built to protect the city, withstood the worst storm Lagos could expect to face in 100 years under simulated conditions.

While arguments continue, interested buyers have continued to visit the sales office of the project for inquiries and possible purchase of plots of land at the cost of $1,000 for one square-metre, which is the cheapest.

From the developer's projections, within the next decade, the seven districts of the city will begin to rise in the similitude of the skyscraper district of Manhattan Island in New York City. The city is projected to be home to about 250,000 people and over 150,000 are expected to commute in and out of the city daily.

The districts include the Ocean Front, which will be the tourist section; the Financial District, which will be mainly commercial; and the Downtown, which will be mainly residential.

If developed according to design, the Eko Atlantic City will be one of the most expensive real estates in Africa, described as "a major financial hub and gateway to Africa."

But for Mr. Emenike, it will be a lost fun spot.

"When they build the city, people like me cannot be coming here again to play. The place will become a playground for the rich people. In fact, what they are turning this Lagos into, very soon there will be no place for poor people," he said.

234Next (http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Environment/5643072-147/story.csp)

Power of Atlantic Ocean has been tamed, developer assures Nigeria

Samuel Ogidan, Abuja

A management official of South Energy Nigeria Limited, Ronald Chagoury, has assured resident of Lagos state and environ that the power and possible violence of the Atlantic Ocean is being tamed by a new offshore wall.

He said this to contain the fears expressed by some Nigerians over possible upsurge of the ocean in the nearest future, thereby causing untold flooding disaster on the resident of Lagos State and its environs. Speaking on behalf of the management of the multi-billion naira Eko Atlantic, Chagoury allayed the fears and agitations of some concerned residents of Lagos and the general public, who may wish to live and work at the Eko Atlantic city over possible effects of the reclamation of the land currently ongoing on the Lagos bar beach.

Reclamation work has begun on the ocean by South Energy Nigeria Limited to retrieve nine million square meters of land from sea, to provide world class development in West Africa.

While giving the assurance, during the tour of the site and inspection of some federal government ongoing road projects in the South West by the Minister of Works, Sanusi Dagassh, Chagoury said a new sea wall would safely deflect the threat of the flooding from an unpredictable ocean.

He assured residents that the wall “will protect Lagos and the new city of Eko Atlantic. The great wall of Lagos is being built more than a mile off the coastline of Victoria Island and will act as a barrier between Eko Atlantic city and the power of the sea. The wall will be seven kilometers long”.
Chagoury said that a precise scale modeling tests in Europe had demonstrated beyond all doubt that the wall would withstand the worst Atlantic storm that could be expected in over a hundred years.

He noted that the high-rise building of the business district, the new finance and business hub for West Africa, will tower over Eko Atlantic and Lagos.

His words: “This phase one district development will lie in the most accessible spot in the Eko Atlantic city, next to the coastal highway and adjacent to the two existing business centers in Lagos City and Victoria Island.”

Describing the outlook of the city on completion, Chagoury said the Eko Atlantic city would have seven urban district, each with their own individual character and architecture, all planned to blend together with office space, and workspace, homes and communities and leisure and cultural facilities.
The nine million square meters of land that is being recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, according to him, would be a prime area for development, set within the ambitious urban design of a modern environmentally aware city.

He said that Eko Atlantic was the result of a joint strategic partnership, between private investment and Lagos, adding: “It is strongly supported by the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

The management official pointed out that interest in the project has intensified, since the appearance of Eko Atlantic at the Clinton Global Initiative in the autumn of 2009.

The minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash, however assured that the multi-billion dollar project has already been seen getting to fruition all because of the implementation of the federal government’s Public Private Partnership initiative.

Daggash expressed delight on the work that is ongoing at the site, stressing that the PPP policy was strategically designed by federal government to drive projects such as this to successful completion.
He disclosed that federal government has no financial commitments on the project, “but yet it is going well as expected”.

http://www.compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71790:power-of-atlantic-ocean-has-been-tamed-developer-assures-nigeria-&catid=72:property&Itemid=710

Wow, 2011 started and no updates on land reclamation for EAC so far?

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5448931062_45ceaa234d_b.jpg

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5455681306_78346473b5_b.jpg

Eko Atlantic City Project has expanded Nigeria’s territory – Fashola
NewsMar 17, 2011

Lagos – Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State says the reclaiming of 2.4 million cubic metres of land from the Atlantic Ocean for the Eko Atlantic City Project has expanded Nigeria’s territory.
Fashola said this on Wednesday while inspecting the project being executed by the South Energy of Holland in association with some others firms.
`We are reclaiming and restoring the geographical territory of Lagos State and by extension that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
`We are reclaiming the land lost to the Atlantic Ocean by uncontrollable erosions that we have now brought under control,’’ the governor said.
He commended the contractor for its commitment.
`The Commissioner for Water Front Infrastructure, Mr Adesegun Oniru, has just informed me that within the next 24 months, Lagosians will begin to see the emergence of one of the apartment blocks, a 24-storey building emerging from where we stand today, meaning that the future has started.
`By this singular act, the contractor has indeed put its money, time, experience and integrity into the project so as to deliver it as promised, starting with the construction of the 1.5km ocean seashore,’’ he said.
Fashola noted that in 2007, sea waves of about 70 metres high buffeted the coastline, but that shorelines constructed by the contractor protected Victoria Island and Ikoyi from being flushed.
He said that the shorelines would also protect the Eko Atlantic City when completed.
`It will be a new city on the coast, a city that will run and operate like any other city in the world with 24 hours electricity, new business centres, housing and efficient transport facilities.
`This is the future that Lagos promises, a future that is within a short distance,’’ he said.
Oniru said that areas reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean were lost to the ocean from 1905.
The commissioner said that with the reclamation, Lagos could now account for 180km of the 853km stretch of Nigeria’s coastal area.
`The firm ground we are all standing on today was part of the Atlantic Ocean which was between 12 metres and 15 metres deep before the contractors reclaimed it,’’ he said.
He listed facilities that would be in the city to include network of roads and surface water bridges.
`There will also be a dedicated electric power generation with underground distribution network of service ducks to provide information technology services,’’ he added. ( NAN

Nice project!Let's pray that a Japanese type earthquake or Tsunami doesn't occur in the course of the project or after completion. The buildings should be made to resist things like earthquake

We don't get devastating earthquakes in Nigeria.

We only get occasional tremors.

Rising sea levels is an issue, but a tsunami is not really plausible. The African and South America plates are diverging. So the only issue Eko atlantic has to contend with is rising sea levels, flooding and this has already been factored in from day 1.

Are there any current aerials of the Eko Atlantic project?

[CENTER]http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5180/5448931062_45ceaa234d_b.jpg

I scanned quickly through this thread and thought that the guy in the foreground was Sven Goren Eriksson:lol:

Damn this project is HUGE!!!...I wont be surprised if this project is going to make the original investors into billionaires....

@ xJamaax Nigeria doesn't get any major natural disasters...Just your common flood and erosion...the closest thing Nigeria has to a natural disaster is our leaders.:|

Damn this project is HUGE!!!...I wont be surprised if this project is going to make the original investors into billionaires....

@ xJamaax Nigeria doesn't get any major natural disasters...Just your common flood and erosion...the closest thing Nigeria has to a natural disaster is our leaders.:|

:hilarious but it is so true:bash:

Damn this project is HUGE!!!...I wont be surprised if this project is going to make the original investors into billionaires....

@ xJamaax Nigeria doesn't get any major natural disasters...Just your common flood and erosion...the closest thing Nigeria has to a natural disaster is our leaders.:|
:laugh:
The governor of the EAC area is doing a great job!

Fashola unveils reclaimed land in Eko Atlantic City
Our Reporter 18/03/2011 00:18:00

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/thumbnail.php?file=fashola_750374081.jpg&size=article_medium
Fashola

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has unveiled two million, four hundred square meters of reclaimed land in Eko Atlantic City.

Speaking at the ceremony on Wednesday, Fashola said the new city would have 24 hours electricity; a 24-storey business centre; modern housing and an efficient means of transportation.

He said: "This is the future that Lagos promised and it is now within our grasp. The future has started, Lagosians are welcome to it.

"We worked very hard to find reliable partners like South Energyx Limited. There are many vistas and aspects to what we commemorate here today. We are reclaiming land that had been lost to the Atlantic through erosion that has now been brought under control."

Fashola said the walls in front of the Atlantic City will prevent flooding.

Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructural Development Prince Segun Oniru said the city would have good roads; surface water drainage; dedicated electricity generation plant with underground distribution; efficient source of water supply, Information Technology (IT) services and a world class Central Business District (CBD).

^^ And where are the pictures of that reclaimeD land :D


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24-storey business centre to be completed in 2 years

In the next 24 months, the new Eko Atlantic City will witness the emergence of a 24-storey business centre building, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has revealed. The governor disclosed this while unveiling the reclaimed land measuring two million, four hundred square meters for the development of the city, adding that it would be a new city on the coast which will run and operate like any other city in the world.

According to him, the new city would come with 24 hours electricity, a new business centre, housing accommodation and a very efficient and reliable transportation The governor described the two million, four hundred square metres of reclaimed land as a momentous milestone in the Eko Atlantic City project. He said, “We worked very hard to find reliable partners and people like South Energyx who put their trust, energy and time as well as their belief in the integrity of the Lagos State Government to deliver the project”. “There are so many vistas and aspects to what we commemorate here today. We are reclaiming and restoring the geographical territory of Lagos State and by extension Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are reclaiming land that has been lost to the Atlantic year on year through uncontrollable erosion that has now been brought under control.”

He explained that during the rains of 2007 there were waves that were as high as 70metres that was buffeting the coastline but the great walls of Lagos which is the walls in front of the Atlantic City protected the residents of Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lagos from being submerged by flood. “That wall is still a work in progress but it has started doing its job. It would be the wall that will ultimately defend the new island from the Atlantic Ocean forever. We will walk this talk with our partners because the future for us is clearly defined,” he said.

The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructural Development, Prince Segun Oniru, said the overall concept of Eko Atlantic City development is to restore land lost to the coastal erosion since 1905. He added that the city would also provide a permanent solution to the erosion problem and a robust sea wall along the new shoreline. He explained that within the city, the facilities to be expected included international standard road network, surface water drainage, dedicated electrical power generation plant with underground distribution, water supply, treatment and distribution, network of service duct to provide IT services and a world class Central Business District (CBD). Also present at the ceremony were members of the State Executive Council and top management of South Energyx Limited led by the Chairman, Mr. Ronald Chagoury.

http://nationalmirroronline.net/features/8240.html

2.4m sqm of land already reclaimed

South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, said it has so far reclaimed 2.4 million square metres of land in the nine million square metres Eko Atlantic City land reclamation exercise.

The company which was specifically created to undertake the development said the city which will be divided into six districts, will offer multiple investment and development opportunities through its strategic plan to reclaim nine million square metres of land from the ocean Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the site, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said, it is the states vision to build a self contained city that provides the quality of infrastructure and services required to make the state the financial capital of Africa.

According to him, “we are reclaiming and restoring the geographical territory of Lagos State and by extension the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We are reclaiming the land that has been lost to the Atlantic ocean and uncontrollable erosion that has now been brought under control.

“For many who might not know during the rains of 2007 there were waves here as high as 70 metres and was buffeting this coast line. For the great wall of Lagos, the wall in front of us here today protected Victoria Island and Ikoyi and the residence in Lagos from being submerged by flood, that wall is still a work in progress.

This will be the wall that will ultimately defend this Island from the Atlantic ocean. We will work this stock with our partners. The future is clear to us as it should. This will be a new city on the coast .The city will run and operate like any other city in the world, 24 hour electricity, new business centre, housing accommodation, very efficient and reliable transportation.

The future that Lagos promised is now within touch, it is real, and I am told that in the next 24 months we will begin to see the emergence of one of the apartment blocks.

In a statement, David Frame, Managing Director of South Energyx Nigeria said, “Eko Atlantic’s Business District will become a home to numerous financial institutions, legal and accounting firms, insurance companies, stockbrokers, oil and gas corporate headquarters, advertising and marketing companies, as well as major retailers. It aims to host a new stock exchange, shopping malls, conference centres and hotels. It will truly be a vibrant addition to the Mega City that is Lagos,” he said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/eko-atlantic-city-2-4m-sqm-of-land-already-reclaimed/

Same news as before

Gareth u are the man

How long is this going to take? its been on the table for so long now?

No, It has been on the table for so long... There is an entire thread dedicated to this project.. U can find whatever info u need there.

I really dont know why they are reclaiming land which will cost money...where there alot of open land spaces in lagos and other parts of nigeria

I really dont know why they are reclaiming land which will cost money...where there alot of open land spaces in lagos and other parts of nigeria
The private developers behind this project probably do not want "other parts of Nigeria", most likely because the economics and bankability of the project would very significantly change outside of Lagos (and possibly Abuja). And regarding those "open land spaces", not only do they often come with communal and CofO issues, but one is unlikely to find prime space the size of this project (about twice the size of Victoria Island) anywhere else in Nigeria (again, with the arguable exception of outskirts of the FCT).

They should have built it in Lekki...before the boom.

Now half of Lekki is filled with novice property developers....what a waste of prime land.

http://http://www.ekoatlantic.com/discover-eko.html

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/big-discover.jpg

Guys thats the Land reclamation veiw from space January 2011

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3866_CR2.jpg

Picture above Aerial view March 2011

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3878_CR2.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3901_CR2.jpg

If you guys look closely at the road just next to the building with the orange roof, this will be part of the coastal road, it will be six lanes, it will eventually stretch all the way to Calabar but South Energyx Nigeria would construct would only the segment that stetches along the eko city about 8 kilometres.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3906_CR2.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3438_CR2.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3094_CR2.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/IMG_3778_CR2.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/top.jpg

Ladies and Gentlemen Phase One is officially completed!!! All pictures courstesy of Eko Atlantic

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/night-amended.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/EKO-BOULEVARD-VIEW.jpg

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/canal.jpg

These pictures are dope!!! ....well done twist

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/top2.jpg

This is the new lay out of the districts, if you compare to the previous one, u can see that the business district highlighted in purple had been expanded to the ocean front stealing some sections of the ocean front district,this is where the boulevard would start from extending northwards to the epicentre (round about), the design of the waterways have also changed with only one canal stretching from east to west along with 3 oval reservoirs at the Marina district, Avenue district and Harbour Lights district. :)

thanks@Twistaz :okay: i like the new layout! renders are awsome and i am looking forward to see alot more updates in the future.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd423/twistaz/canal.jpg

^^I love this pic & thanks for updating us.:cheers:

More Beautiful Updates. :smug:

These new pictures makes me soooo excited. I can't wait. :banana:

This will make it so anyone can easily live in Lagos.

Lagos = NYC of Africa :D

^^ WOW!! The pic up there looks much more Realistic{ Like something that can actually be done} I dont know If u guyz see how I mean....

These pictures are dope!!! ....well done twist

Agreed

i have a question maybe some Lagosians could answer. why didn't they just build Lagos out eastward past Gbagidan and westward towards Ojo? wouldn't it be cheaper than what they're doing now?

Well, If they do that, Lagos coastline wont be safe..
U dont get it......they arent making Eko atlantic for making sake, The Lagos coastline is endangered, moreso we are gaining land that has been lost to the sea for centuries, and building up a defence line.........Jeeez!! Havent u been following The project?? :dunno:

Well, If they do that, Lagos coastline wont be safe.. that doesn't make sense. how is building the city along the lagoon endangering the the coastline?

U dont get it......they arent making Eko atlantic for making sake, The Lagos coastline is endangered, there are cheaper and faster ways to protect an eroding coastline than giant landfillsmoreso we are gaining land that has been lost to the sea for centuries, and building up a defence line.........Jeeez!! Havent u been following The project?? :dunno:
not too closely

oh, and just so you know, i do think this is great and am very hopeful for what the finished product will be.

that doesn't make sense. how is building the city along the lagoon endangering the the coastline?
there are cheaper and faster ways to protect an eroding coastline than giant landfills
not too closely

oh, and just so you know, i do think this is great and am very hopeful for what the finished product will be.

The lagos coastline is naturally endangered. To protect it, an expensive, massive seawall must be erected. It makes economic sense to just reclaim any eroded land before the seawall is constructed, and build a city on it.

The lagos coastline is naturally endangered. To protect it, an expensive, massive seawall must be erected. It makes economic sense to just reclaim any eroded land before the seawall is constructed, and build a city on it.
i doubt if that is accurate but for the sake of argument let's pretend that it is, that still doesn't answer my other questions.

^^ Your questions have been abnswered already,look Well..
I answered in a form, U seemed not to get, then Samuel replied in another.

i doubt if that is accurate but for the sake of argument let's pretend that it is, that still doesn't answer my other questions.
It is mutually-exclusive to do both?

It's not cost effective. If some private developers indicate interest in the other land, then why not..

Lovely project, well done nigeria!

Making Over Lagos

http://ekoatlantic.com/press-pr/press-eko/logos/timecnn.jpg

In his epic 1976 anthem "Go Slow," Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti described the traffic in his hometown of Lagos, casting it as a metaphor for Nigeria's spiritual standstill. "Then your head start to ache because car crush they for your head," he sang. "Lorry they for your front, tipper they for your back, motorcycle they for your left, taxi-moto they for your right."

It's a far cry from this vision of the city put forth by the developers of a new seafront business and residential district for Lagos called Eko Atlantic: "It will be a masterpiece of urban planning ... with its wide boulevards [and] tree-lined avenues with views over the marina and waterway, dynamic waterfront [and] traffic that flows."

If it seems there is a gulf between the two, there is - literally. Eko Atlantic is an artificial island, just offshore, being created entirely from scratch, built of sand dredged from the ocean floor. It will be 7 km wide, extend about 2 km out to sea and house 250,000 residents, with offices for 150,000 commuters. A scale model at the offices of its developers, South Energyx Nigeria, features gin-clear canals, giant malls, three marinas, trams, the island's own power station and a sail-shaped 55-story skyscraper that will be the new headquarters for a Nigerian bank. David Frame, South Energyx Nigeria's managing director, calls Eko Atlantic "the new face of Africa." Onno Ruhl, country head for the World Bank, goes even further, calling it the future Hong Kong of Africa. But plans for Lagos' renovation don't end offshore. Eko Atlantic is the centerpiece of a city redevelopment strategy whose ambition is simple and astonishing: take one of the world's worst cities and make it one of the best. "This is a real attempt to prove Lagos can be an economic powerhouse and a gateway to Africa," declares Frame. Ruhl says, "It's an amazing thing, not least because it actually looks like it will happen."

It would be hard to pick a tougher city to make over than Lagos. The place is more normally known as a living, breathing definition of anarchy. With 10 million to 18 million inhabitants - no one is quite sure - Lagos is the biggest city on the world's poorest continent and one of its fastest-growing, with the population expected to be as large as 25 million by 2015, which would make it the third largest city in the world. Those figures describe an unmatched concentration of poor people. About 65% of Lagosians - up to 11 million people - live below the poverty line, earning $2 or less a day. This is chaos at its ugliest, deadliest and most colossal: a malarial megalopolis mostly built of driftwood, tin and cardboard, with precious little running water, electricity, employment or law and order, where the ground is filled with garbage, the water with sewage and the air with the noise and smog from a million unmuffled exhausts.

How did it get so bad? It is Lagos' peculiar blight that on a continent with space to spare, the city managed to run out of it. When Portuguese explorers arrived in 1472, the settlement of Eko was so scattered around marshes that they eventually renamed it after the Portuguese word for lakes. Then the growth started. First Lagos became a trading hub for slaves, then a British administrative city, then after oil was discovered in the Bight of Benin in the 1950s, a boomtown filled with oil executives and riggers. Finally, as the biggest port in the most populous country in West Africa, it became a megamecca for migrants. Today a new resident arrives every minute, and each finds ever less of Lagos on which to live. Erosion from the pounding Atlantic means the city's coastline has retreated a kilometer since the 1960s.

Such epic overcrowding has spawned a host of other difficulties - not only legendary traffic but also unemployment, poor housing, crime and disease. All that has been exacerbated by Nigeria's notoriously poor government, something that, in turn, has its roots in the country's large oil reserves. Oil, which accounts for about 85% of revenue, detaches a government from its people. Because it does not depend on them for money, it feels little need to serve them. That disconnection helps explain Lagos' decline. When oil prices collapsed in the early 1980s and state revenues tumbled, work on Lagos' infrastructure stopped. But when crude prices recovered, no one thought to resume it.
Within a few years, Lagos was one of the world's first failing megacities, a victim of what U.N.-Habitat, the international organization's agency for human settlement, calls overurbanization - a concentration of too many people in too little underdeveloped space. Lagosians tried to adapt. With hours of daily gridlock, businessmen converted their car backseats into offices, complete with phones, laptops and secretaries, while motorbike taxi drivers shaved down their handlebars to stubs, the better to slip through the narrowest of gaps. Offices and factories squeezed into residential apartments. Almost every tree was cut down and every garden built on.

The celebrated Dutch architect and urban-development theorist Rem Koolhaas, who has published several studies of Lagos, eulogizes this chaotic, organic growth and the dynamic adaptability it instills in Lagosians. But the reality of anarchy is often less romantic. As long ago as the 1970s, when the city began to buckle, the federal government abandoned Lagos for a new purpose-built inland capital, Abuja. Foreign investors and tourists stayed clear. As the city crumbled through the 1980s, "area boys," self-proclaimed vigilante street gangs that ran protection rackets and mugging syndicates, began terrorizing neighborhood turfs. By the time Babatunde Fashola was elected governor in 2007, Lagos was a place, he says, "of very evident despair."

The Bottom of the Pyramid
Fashola is not your usual politician. Rather than barging his way across town with sirens blaring and lights flashing like other Nigerian leaders, he chooses to endure Lagos' traffic with his fellow citizens. Also, Fashola reads economic theory for fun. On his bedside table: books by development economists who see potential in poverty, people like the late C.K. Prahalad of the University of Michigan or Hernando de Soto of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima. They argue that the poor may lack money as individuals but together, in their tens of millions, they represent a massive untapped resource.

That counterintuitive approach resonates with Fashola. When he looked at Lagos as its new governor, he says, "in everything I saw, I saw opportunity. The infrastructural deficit of Lagos [is also] a chance to relieve its poverty. If there is a bad road, it means we need an engineer and laborers, architects, valuers, land merchants, banks, merchandisers, suppliers of iron rods and cement, and food courts." So Fashola embarked on a comprehensive overhaul of Lagos' infrastructure, building new expressways, widening and resurfacing others, stringing streetlights along all the main highways, integrating road with rail, air and even water. The city was too big to transform overnight, but improvements were soon marked. Traffic slackened, garbage dumps were replaced with green parks, the proportion of Lagosians with access to clean water rose (from 30% to 59%) and flood defenses covering 10.8 million people were strengthened. Eventually Fashola created tens of thousands of jobs in construction and municipal projects - 42,015 jobs in environmental and waste management alone. New state skills centers trained an additional 250,000 people in new trades, then offered them microloans to set up their own businesses

Lagos' chronic lack of space presented another paradoxical opportunity. Scarcity of anything increases its value, an economic truth reflected in city-center rents in Lagos that were higher than those in London or Manhattan. Lagos, Fashola realized, was a potential real estate gold mine. That insight led to Eko Atlantic, which, because of the profits to be made, will be entirely privately financed. The same calculation underpins Fashola's new 17,000-hectare Lekki industrial park, being built on marshland northeast of Eko Atlantic.

The most ambitious part of Fashola's plan is still unfolding. In 2004, when he was working as the chief of staff for the previous governor, Fashola set up the annual Lagos Economic Summit. It was there in 2008 that he met a representative from de Soto's ILD. De Soto's work on informal economies - the unregulated and unmapped businesses in which the vast majority of people in the developing world earn a living - makes him a champion of the idea that the poor are an untouched resource. De Soto and the ILD have set up programs in 30 countries designed to correct that, making the informal economy formal so governments can regulate, tax and promote it. "Everything has a potential value you can unlock," he tells Time. "You just have to figure out how to harness the power that's already there."

In May 2009, at Fashola's invitation, de Soto went to work for Lagos. Almost immediately, he discovered the mother of all informal economies. A preliminary study revealed that 93.7% of the city's businesses, with assets worth a collective $50 billion, functioned outside the law. That handily beat annual foreign aid to Nigeria ($11.4 billion) and dwarfed foreign investment ($5.4 billion) and, if it could be channeled, would deliver an unprecedented boost to the city's prosperity. It also indicated there was so much about his city that Fashola didn't know or control, de Soto told the governor, that many of his reforms would likely misfire. "If you have that many people outside, it doesn't matter what you say to them," he says. "They're already following rules other than those set by the government."

How to get Lagosians into the system? Property rights, said de Soto. Because of the chaotic way the city had grown, most land and buildings there were untitled, making them difficult to buy, sell or borrow against. But if Fashola were to set clear property rights, that massive asset could be tapped. What's more, since they would benefit, residents and businessmen would line up to have their property counted. They would volunteer to become part of the system. "Since the Domesday Book, people have been linked to their assets and identified themselves through them," says de Soto. "Property rights are the key to finding out how many citizens you've got and who they are and what they're doing. Once you have that, then you can reform the city."

An Ownership Society
For the past 18 months, Fashola has dispatched teams of surveyors across Lagos to determine who owns what. Once they finish, millions of Lagos' citizens will have a stake - legal and enforceable - in their city's future. The transformation will not be immediate, cautions de Soto. "This is what Europe was doing from the 15th to the 19th centuries," he says. "Even at the end of that period, you had these Dickensian cities." But, he says, "once they got that rule of law in place, they became productive."

For Fashola, the law is key. The changes he is overseeing improve infrastructure, create jobs, make money, even build him a soaring political career. But ultimately, the aim is to end the anarchy, he says. A city that does not function "creates desperate conditions for people and reduces their ability to resist temptation." Lapses can be minor, like driving on sidewalks or into oncoming traffic, or major, like violent crime. Fashola sees both as symptoms of Lagos' dysfunction, and he is tackling them by, in one approach, setting up a series of driver-improvement schools as well as, in another tack, employing area boys as cleaners and gardeners to beautify their neighborhoods. It's working. Orderly lanes are becoming the norm on the roads. And crime is down. From 2007 to 2008, armed robberies in Lagos fell 89%. From 2008 to 2009, car theft fell 54%. And murder more than halved, from 221 cases in 2007 to 94 in 2010. This rising sense of citizenship is revealing itself in another surprising way. Astonished then delighted by the transformation their new governor was effecting, Lagosians were happy to pay for it. By 2010 the governor was raising 70% of the state's income locally from taxes. By diminishing the importance of oil money handed out by the federal government and raising the role of local tax, Fashola has reconnected the state to its people. He takes that as a stamp of approval for his efforts to reverse lawlessness in government as well as across the city. "The capacity of a government to attract taxes is a very strong measure of its legitimacy," he says.

And slowly, like a rousing giant, Lagos is emerging from its Dickensian squalor and rediscovering its soul. The city that produced Kuti and Afrobeat and a host of writers like Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka is witnessing the birth of a hip urban scene. New bars and cafés, boutique hotels and restaurants suddenly abound. Kuti, it turns out, was right. Something as simple as freeing up the roads can free the spirit. "We set out to demonstrate that we can transform ourselves ... that there is nothing wrong with us as a people," says Fashola. "At the beginning, there was uncertainty about whether or not any of this was even possible. [But what we did] was suggest in very practical terms - in ways that are touchable and can be seen - that things can be changed, no matter how bad they are. We restored hope. We restored belief." Lagos, city of hope. How's that for vision?

http://ekoatlantic.com/press-pr/press_timecnn_may_2011.htm

I'm rather ignorant of Nigerian politicians, but Fashola sounds very competent, and non-corrupt. Does anyone think that a Presidential race is in his future?

^^ You are Ignorant you said but it doesnt matter you are not a Nigerian and have no business in our president so GTFO
And about the pres race you are ignorant of nigerian politics so to give you an explanation would dive down to our very history from the very first coup by ironsi and to the President of today Jonathan just go read Nigerian's history and figure the answer yourself

^^ Why are U so rude??

Does it boost you ego or what?... He was asking a sincere question.


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edit

What will be the tallest building in Eko Atlantic City?

^^ You are Ignorant you said but it doesnt matter you are not a Nigerian and have no business in our president so GTFO
And about the pres race you are ignorant of nigerian politics so to give you an explanation would dive down to our very history from the very first coup by ironsi and to the President of today Jonathan just go read Nigerian's history and figure the answer yourself
:nuts::nuts::crazy:
What will be the tallest building in Eko Atlantic City?
I dunno, maybe someone else can answer..But looking at the pics posted in the other eko threads (the one tbite made) I'm guessing one of the buildings proposed in that.

What will be the tallest building in Eko Atlantic City?

The tallest Is the 55 story HQ of a Nigerian bank

^^ You are Ignorant you said but it doesnt matter you are not a Nigerian and have no business in our president so GTFO
And about the pres race you are ignorant of nigerian politics so to give you an explanation would dive down to our very history from the very first coup by ironsi and to the President of today Jonathan just go read Nigerian's history and figure the answer yourself

I have no idea why you are so aggressive and unwelcoming. I know a decent amount of Nigerian history. Like, I can't list every single coup, but I'm knowledgeable enough to know how much frequent changes in power due to coups have sadly hindered Nigeria since independence. I know about the latest Presidential elections, and I'm aware of last decade's democratization and economic boom of Nigeria. Unfortunately, I also know like most African countries Nigeria has a problem with corrupt leaders that have a lack of vision. I wish nothing but the best for Nigeria, and Fashola from that article seemed like a very ...un-African African leader, if you know what I mean. Competent and with vision (and results!). He seems like a person who could push Nigeria into an even better future, so I was just asking people who know more than I if it is realistic that he could become President one day.

His popularity is legendary. if he runs in the 2015 elections he'll win, hands down

pdp has nobody to compare in popularity other then Amaechi and they're not going to run 2 Niger Deltans in a row.

on top of that if Sambo, the current vice president decides to run they'll lose because nobody cares about him and he's very uninspiring with little to no appeal to youths (the dominate voting bloc)


the only real contenders against him would be Sanusi, who's our very brilliant central bank head who isn't as popular in the rural south cause he advocates islamic banking, and among many southern conservatives because he's writings on the benefits of islamic law...and he's muslim.

Fashola will also face heavy resistence from the north because they feel they would be robbed on 'their turn' twice in a row.





people are looking to see how well Rochas Okorocha does in Imo, but i think his chances are slim because fashola's popularityand if he wins the muslims will kill ppl for sure.

His popularity is legendary. if he runs in the 2015 elections he'll win, hands down

pdp has nobody to compare in popularity other then Amaechi and they're not going to run 2 Niger Deltans in a row.

on top of that if Sambo, the current vice president decides to run they'll lose because nobody cares about him and he's very uninspiring with little to no appeal to youths (the dominate voting bloc)


the only real contenders against him would be Sanusi, who's our very brilliant central bank head who isn't as popular in the rural south cause he advocates islamic banking, and among many southern conservatives because he's writings on the benefits of islamic law...and he's muslim.

Fashola will also face heavy resistence from the north because they feel they would be robbed on 'their turn' twice in a row.





people are looking to see how well Rochas Okorocha does in Imo, but i think his chances are slim because fashola's popularityand if he wins the muslims will kill ppl for sure.

For Fashola to win, He will need to win states like Plateau, Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Taraba. I believe that he will have no problem in Kwara and Benue, I am not too sure about Plateau, because they rarely vote for a Muslim candidate.

http://s01.flagcounter.com/count/Ka1/bg_FFFFFF/txt_000000/border_CCCCCC/columns_6/maxflags_24/viewers_0/labels_1/pageviews_0/flags_0/ (http://s01.flagcounter.com/more/Ka1)

http://s10.flagcounter.com/map/PA3/size_m/txt_000000/border_CCCCCC/pageviews_0/viewers_Viewers+from/ (http://s10.flagcounter.com/more/PA3)


LOL... So u dont know that in Nigeria , people Rarely see Fashola as Muslim.
MOst people dont even Know he is.....lol

I have no idea why you are so aggressive and unwelcoming. I know a decent amount of Nigerian history. Like, I can't list every single coup, but I'm knowledgeable enough to know how much frequent changes in power due to coups have sadly hindered Nigeria since independence. I know about the latest Presidential elections, and I'm aware of last decade's democratization and economic boom of Nigeria. Unfortunately, I also know like most African countries Nigeria has a problem with corrupt leaders that have a lack of vision. I wish nothing but the best for Nigeria, and Fashola from that article seemed like a very ...un-African African leader, if you know what I mean. Competent and with vision (and results!). He seems like a person who could push Nigeria into an even better future, so I was just asking people who know more than I if it is realistic that he could become President one day.
Dude, you had me until you wen there... :lol:

His popularity is legendary. if he runs in the 2015 elections he'll win, hands down

pdp has nobody to compare in popularity other then Amaechi and they're not going to run 2 Niger Deltans in a row.

on top of that if Sambo, the current vice president decides to run they'll lose because nobody cares about him and he's very uninspiring with little to no appeal to youths (the dominate voting bloc)

the only real contenders against him would be Sanusi, who's our very brilliant central bank head who isn't as popular in the rural south cause he advocates islamic banking, and among many southern conservatives because he's writings on the benefits of islamic law...and he's muslim.

Fashola will also face heavy resistence from the north because they feel they would be robbed on 'their turn' twice in a row.
Obviously an optimistic view, but realpolitik suggests otherwise.

Obviously an optimistic view, but realpolitik suggests otherwise.
Very optimistic. More desire than reality.

i dont see how it's simple 'optimism' and not reality. he's easily the most popular politician in the country. If he is even rigged out the country will be set on fire and politicians know this. you can't rig an inevitable land slide.

fashola will crush any opponents

http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-825493.0.html

here's a pic:http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/5263/81326879.jpg

His popularity is legendary. if he runs in the 2015 elections he'll win, hands down

pdp has nobody to compare in popularity other then Amaechi and they're not going to run 2 Niger Deltans in a row.

on top of that if Sambo, the current vice president decides to run they'll lose because nobody cares about him and he's very uninspiring with little to no appeal to youths (the dominate voting bloc)


the only real contenders against him would be Sanusi, who's our very brilliant central bank head who isn't as popular in the rural south cause he advocates islamic banking, and among many southern conservatives because he's writings on the benefits of islamic law...and he's muslim.





Fashola will also face heavy resistence from the north because they feel they would be robbed on 'their turn' twice in a row.





people are looking to see how well Rochas Okorocha does in Imo, but i think his chances are slim because fashola's popularityand if he wins the muslims will kill ppl for sure.
^^Oh well,i guess some people just believe that Nigeria starts and ends in Lagos. ACN as it stands can never produce Nigeria's presido,unless some concrete alliances begin to take place NOW,not 2 weeks to the presidential elections:lol:
My prediction is that VP Sambo is going to be paired with Okonjo Iweala...and they'll win,unless Jonny boy decides to go for a second term,which is still very likely.
A Sanusi under ACN's banner could provide a good fight but south east,south south and north central will go for Sambo/Iweala.

The project had some delays...but as of March 2012

2,849,050 Km2 have been reclaimed

This time last year 2.4Km2 had been reclaimed.

Eko Atlantic City’ll Generate 150,000 Jobs

28 May 2012

By Gboyega Akinsanmi



Lagos State Government has unveiled the long-awaited Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Eko Atlantic City, which it said, was in compliance with global standard and regulations.

Managing Director of the South Energyx Nigeria Limited (developers of the Eko Atlantic City), Mr. David Frame, also put the number of jobs the city would generate when completed at over 150,000.

A team of Lagos State Commissioner of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Segun Oniru, South Energyx Nigeria Limited and Royal Haskoning of Holland presented the EIA report at an interactive session with journalists in Victoria Island at the weekend.

Speaking at the unveiling of the EIA reports, the managing director expressed hope that in the nearest future, Lagos would become the envy of the world because of the Atlantic City.

According to him, “when the Eko Atlantic City project is completed, it will generate a minimum of 150,000 jobs, and the city will attract tourists and visits across the world; thereby boosting revenue generation.”

He said: “Ten years from now, people will begin to troop to Lagos just as the case of Dubai. The city will have will have a west point Marina of 350 metres diameter and will provide outlet for those who wants to enjoy the canal system. The city project will provide accommodation for 250,000 people”.

At the session, Oniru said about 17 expatriates and 500 Nigerian engineers “are currently working on the project, and a wall called The Great Wall of Lagos would be constructed to protect the city from ocean surge.

He added that the developer of the city had 78 years certificate of occupancy on the project to enable it recoup its investment over time, saying that three million square metres of land had been reclaimed from the ocean out of the nine million square metres of land for the city.

On the EIA report, Mr. Dirk Heijboer of the Royal Haskoning, a Dutch marine firm, said the company carried out an environmental and social impact assessment on the Eko Atlantic reclamation project.

He said: “In view of the scale of Eko Atlantic, it is concluded that the project will have major positive effects in restoring and protecting the shoreline and minimal side effects. A scoping exercise was carried out to identify the main issues that needed addressing as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

“Following this, a report was prepared and the Terms of Reference for the EIA were agreed with the Federal Ministry of Environment, FME; the body with national regulatory authority over the Project.

“Extensive consultations have been carried out throughout the EIA process. They started during the scoping phase with meetings with FME, the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

“Following these sessions, further consultations were expanded to cover a wider range of stakeholders and local community leaders. Consultation and liaison with relevant parties will continue.

“The Eko Atlantic Project has completed a full and comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment on the entire land reclamation works and its sea wall protection as required under the Nigerian Environmental Impact Assessment Act No. 86 of 1992. The EIA has been carried out in accordance with these regulations.

“The EIA was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment and underwent public consultation in November 2011. In January 2012, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Environment gave EIA Approval for Eko Atlantic reclamation works and sea-wall protection in combination with established procedures for ongoing compliance,” he added.



source (http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/-eko-atlantic-city-ll-generate-150-000-jobs-/116731/)

Two banks to pilot Eko Atlantic City office development

http://i.imgur.com/Ramj2.jpg

EXCEPT a change of plan occurs, at least two commercial banks will be piloting office development construction works in the Eko Atlantic City project as the duo have indicated interest to commence their projects in the next few months.

Developers of the Eko Atlantic City Project, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, made the disclosure last week in Lagos at a press briefing to acquaint stakeholders on recent development.

A senior official with South Energyx Nigeria Limited, Mr. David Frame, giving the highlights of the city’s feature said two banks have indicated their desire to commence actual construction of their offices in the next few months.

He however did not give details on the banks and the scope of works they are to do.

He also informed that the business district will be a centre for international business, finance and commerce, with the imposing structure planned for the city to house restaurants, bars, penthouse apartment for living and socialising.

Frame also disabused the minds of the public from the notion that the city is meant for the super rich in the society and the company .

His words: “Contrary to the general perception that only the wealthy ones in the society would have the opportunity of living in the new city, there is plan for the construction of apartments that would be at the reach of the upcoming, but enterprising young executives”.

Also, The Guardian authoritatively learnt that many investors have bought into the scheme, some of which have commenced considering the nature of structures to be erected on the reclaimed landed space, now known as Eko Atlantic City project.

Besides, full construction of the protective barrier, nicknamed “The Great Wall of Lagos” and reclamation exercise would be fully completed by 2016.

However, before the targeted date, scores of offices and residential accommodation must have commenced in the already reclaimed areas where subscribers has made proposal.

The developers also gave insight into how the Federal Ministry of Environment had endorsed the EIA report on the project, which they said had clearly put a stop into any misgivings that have been held about the project.

Among such misgivings expressed was the ability to prevent the ocean surge into the city in the future and in any event, how to prevent erosion in the waterfront stretch beyond the Eko Atlantic City.

Under the EIA, an eight-kilometer long revetment wall would be erected to prevent any possibility of ocean surge, this they said it is in line with the global practice of ensuring there are rescue measure in the event of any eventuality.

But unfolding the measures put in place, the Mr. Dirk Heuboer, from Royal Haskoning, said the “The Great Wall of Lagos”, an eight-kilometer long revetment put in place to protect Eko Atlantic City and low-lying Lagos from relentless forces of the ocean was as a result of the outcome of EIA reports.

According to him, the wall is being constructed to the highest standard of marine engineering available globally. He said an international team of highly skilled coastal and marine engineers applied physical scale model tests and computer simulations in Denmark to assess its stability under the pressure of extreme wave conditions, noting that “the design proved itself beyond doubt”.

He gave the features of the barrier as follows: The revetment splits into 12 different layers of rock and concrete which form the massive structure; that most part of the wall lies on the sea-bed between seven and 11 metres underwater, the position which the consultant said formed the strength of the wall.

The base of this Great Wall is around 45 metres, with average width of sixteen metres. The construction, he said, begins with the scoop of excavator arm that is carefully controlled from digger, swinging of gravel-filled shovel into a defined position over the water, adding that this first layers is a filter that prevents sand on the sea-bed from moving through the structure.

“Besides, a durable geo-textile, made out of non-woven polyester is effectively serves as a separation membrane and also in preventing reclaimed sand-fill from escaping the wall structure, but still allows ground and seawater to pass through the fabric in a controlled fashion, thereby proved that the structure have the protective capacity of more than100 years”.

He noted that the eight kilometres long defense wall has reached almost four kilometer fully completed.

In his remark, the Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure, Prince Adesegun Oniru, assured the gathering that the project is a blessing, not only to those who may live in the city, but rather, a spirited efforts by the Lagos government to reclaim the lost waterfront to the ocean, the development he said has spanned 100 years.

Guardian Nigeria (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87387:two-banks-to-pilot-eko-atlantic-city-office-development-&catid=25:property&Itemid=655)

[QUOTE=Tbite;91823823]Two banks to pilot Eko Atlantic City office development

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/images/resized/images/stories/2012/may2012/eko-atlantic-city--28_05_12_200_160.jpg

TBITE !!!
This is a much more recent photograph !!!
It shows very significant progress ...
Thanks!!!

a new video for eko atlantic is available. not sure how to get it on here, but its on their website.

mostly an over-view type video with a little bit of new info like the area called "Marina at West Point" (taken out from Harbour Lights district) which will have 5-star hotel and spa as main tourist attraction.

^^ duuurh, it isn't.

The video on their site..I am seeing it for the first time.It says 2012 as well

It seems to have a lot of old footage..but there are some new stuff in it as well.

Just saw the video. I understand why they repeated some stuff because not much has changed except for more land has been reclaimed.

Plus there is an expo coming up tomorrow so be on the lookout for new pics.

Just saw the video. I understand why they repeated some stuff because not much has changed except for more land has been reclaimed.

Plus there is an expo coming up tomorrow so be on the lookout for new pics.

Where is the expo taking place. if I can attend I will upload pictures.

Is that the same Expo that David Adjaye will be attending?

Where is the expo taking place. if I can attend I will upload pictures.

Its at the Eko Expo center in Lagos, May 30th to may 31st, though it seem that eko atlantic is sponsoring the event, i'm not sure if they will partake in it.

http://cemea.economistconferences.com/event/future-cities-africa?utm_source=EkoAtlantic&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=EKOCITIES

Is that the same Expo that David Adjaye will be attending?

I'm not sure??

Yupp David Adjaye will be there on the first - day..he will present something as well.

http://cemea.economistconferences.com/event/future-cities-lagos/future-cities-lagos-agenda

I wish I could be there.

And yes Eko Atlantic City will partake - David Frame will be there.

Okay I see now...

I even like how they scheduled a site visit to eko atlantic at the end, Muy bien.....

Delegate fees

Early booking rate - register and pay by April 13th 2012

Standard rate
Conference only (site visit included)

Save $300
$1300

$1600

^^ duuurh, it isn't.

i dont get ur comment. i dont see the "duurh" in what i wrote.

Just saw the video. I understand why they repeated some stuff because not much has changed except for more land has been reclaimed.

Plus there is an expo coming up tomorrow so be on the lookout for new pics.

I hope more land wasn't all that was done from last year until now. I remember them talking about starting the construction for road network.

I remember that by like April last year we saw small clip of work being done for Eko Pearl Tower, I would have expected it to reach a few floors by now. Also, Park Residence is said to be under-construction.

Maybe we will get a better video or pic later with more details.

can u please post the video it is not working for me i have seen it but it is not working

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glYH_9lO0-0 ^^

Although when I uploaded it..I think the file is of a lower quality..than the one on the website

so, the Vdeo states, that the sea wall, will extend 8 Kilometers, into the sea, at completion, so, we can assume, that at its longest point, the reclaimed land, will be 8Kms, in Length?

This blog might post new videos/pictures of Eko Atlantic City soon. (They said they would)

http://anamcity.wordpress.com/

I am posting the link here, just in case I forget to check.

some of those who visited it were tweeting about the visit.

one person said that the testing for the first 24 story apartment building had finished and that construction would start soon.
(i think this is the eko pearl tower).

eko atlantic would have 8 entrances, 4 in Victoria Island and 4 in lekki.

one twitter feed i read said they would post pics and video, so lookout for that.

That was the twitter feed I was referring to.

I am not sure if the link above is where they will post it.

Or they could post it here.

http://twitter.com/#!/search/%23africacities/slideshow/photos

http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/moja-media/visa-african-cities-guide/2012060101/#44

What is the logic behind building Eko Atlantic? Why not rather spend the money upgrading Lagos? I have heard a lot about this project. Just dont understand the logic behind it.

What is the logic behind building Eko Atlantic? Why not rather spend the money upgrading Lagos? I have heard a lot about this project. Just dont understand the logic behind it.

100 years ago the site being reclamated was land but we lost it due to erosions, now they gaining the land lost back. Somebody else can give a better explanation :)

also to add to that this project is funded and built by the private sector. The government isn't involve with this project financially.

What is the logic behind building Eko Atlantic? Why not rather spend the money upgrading Lagos? I have heard a lot about this project. Just dont understand the logic behind it.
Yaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn :ohno:

Looks like Eko atlantics updated their website and changed the masterplan...

http://i47.tinypic.com/33y2ut1.jpg

This is a more futuristic design than it's predecessor, it is futuristic and the districts are well demarcated, the more they ammend the layout, the better it gets!!!

Jonathan, Clinton, Fashola, others laud Eko Atlantic City project
Thursday, 21 February 2013



TRIBUTES to the human will and intelligence to conquer nature reverberated in Lagos Thursday as leaders stood in awe of the Eko Atlantic City, located inside the Atlantic Ocean-end of the state.

The Eko Atlantic City was described as a project equal to any other of its type from any part of the world.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who was at the laying of the dedication stone for the five million square metre-Eko Atlantic City project, explained that the corporation would be driven by a Public Private Partnership that would also involve international financiers.

On the occasion, Jonathan announced the launch of a national mortgage finance corporation to address the country’s over 16 million housing shortfall.

He disclosed that the World Bank had already provided $300 million to kick-start the company even as major stakeholders involved in the project would include Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN), local and foreign bodies such as Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the World Bank.

“We believe this will provide the much-needed liquidity that has been lacking in the mortgage sector as well as solve the problem of high interest rates. The housing sector has its peculiar challenges and that is why the Federal Government, a few weeks ago, organised a private sector retreat where it was agreed that the revival of the mortgage sector was paramount to solving the national housing problem.”

The Federal Government, according to him, has been meeting with all the states in the country so as to fast-track the process of land titling which has also been a drawback to housing.

The event, which drew a large audience, comprising captains of the industry, policy makers and traditional rulers, was hosted by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, who was elated to see the project becoming a reality. According to the governor, nature has lost again to the supremacy of human spirit and intelligence.

Also at the event were former governors of the state, Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who initiated the project in 2003. The business community was led by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Oba Otudeko and others.

Fashola recalled that the project had been raising a lot of questions, for the right reasons, all over the world. “It is beyond the civil and engineering master-piece on display, but I see more the determined effort and spirit to conquer nature. This project is one of the major accomplishments of man in the moulds of airplane, Euro-tunnel, the Egyptian pyramid and so on.”

He, however, lamented where, due to man’s negligence, nature had been allowed to fight back, referring specifically to a case of the century-old Apapa Ports. He insisted that man must not submit to nature.

“This project is not finished, but it is already a success story”, said Fashola, who stressed the restoration of businesses along the Victoria Island corridor, even after what looked hopeless in 2003 massive flooding of the area.

Disclosing that the Federal Government planned similar projects in Abuja and Kano, Jonathan stressed that government at the centre would not be beaten by the success of the Eko Atlantic City. “This project is a continuation of good news narrative that has been sweeping the country such as the recent victory at the African Nations Cup and revival of the Lagos to Kano rail.”

The special guest at the event, former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, who spoke to the gathering, commended the project and stressed that it would be an international tourist attraction.

“No one is strong or wealthy enough to solve all the world’s problems; but it is through the collective efforts of people that make a difference. And I urge you to continue. I am convinced a lot of people will want to come and see this place

“The walls built to arrest any over-flowing of the sea, tagged ‘The Great Wall of Lagos’ will not only protect the new city from the Atlantic Ocean, but also the adjoining Victoria Island.

“The wall now stands at three and a half kilometres in length and has brought back the coastline of Victoria Island to where it was a century ago before coastal erosion began to wash it away. The Eko Atlantic land reclamation started in February 2008 with a seven-year dredging operation planned to create 8,000 square metres of new land every day,” Fashola stated.

Earlier in his address, Executive Chairman of Eko Atlantic, Mr. Ronald Chagoury, said: “Nigeria is a great nation. Building a city of this calibre can only be achieved by putting our hands together. Today, we are at a turning point, where the real construction of the city has started.”

He stressed: “Today, Lagos is the economic capital of Nigeria. We pray, by your blessing, Mr. President, to become the economic and financial centre of Africa in the near future.”

The milestone achievement of the planners and city developers of Eko Atlantic was recognised by the unveiling of a marble plaque by President Jonathan.

Speaking on behalf of Eko Atlantic, the Managing Director of Eko Atlantic, Mr. David Frame, stated: “Completing 50 per cent of the land reclamation for Eko Atlantic is a major milestone and we are incredibly proud to be able to celebrate the occasion today with His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and President Clinton, as well as His Excellency Governor Fashola. Their participation is a major endorsement of our objectives; and we thank them profusely.”

Head of Communications for the new city, Mr. Brent Sadler, stated: “Eko Atlantic is a ground breaking vision for the future of Lagos, offering world-class infrastructure to facilitate the development of a new African city. It will help meet the needs of Lagos’ growing population and business community. Eko Atlantic will be a clean, energy efficient city for the 21st Century.”

The construction of infrastructure for Eko Atlantic, such as roads, drainage and sewage systems has also started, including the foundation work for Eko Atlantic’s first commercial tower block.

Upon completion, the developers and planners of the new city will have produced 10,000,000 (ten million) square metres of land, ripe for development: equivalent in size to the skyscraper district of Manhattan in New York City.

The essential new city for Lagos is being designed as a solution to coastal erosion and also to help relieve pressure on the congested city of Lagos.




source (http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114195:jonathan-clinton-fashola-others-laud-eko-atlantic-city-project&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)

this looks like it will be the year we start seeing the kind of construction we been looking for. I wonder which of commercial towers is under-construction.

Hm....true! I am just excited about the credibility of the project with such high profile personalities. U could never tell with Nigeria.

Nigeria: Lagos to Extend Eko Atlantic City Project
BY GBOYEGA AKINSANMI, 6 MARCH 2013

The Lagos State Government Tuesday unfolded plans to extend the Eko Atlantic City Project from the Bar Beach in Victoria Island to Alpha Beach in Lekki, as a way of permanently protecting lives and property along the state's section of the Atlantic Ocean.

It also lamented the refusal of the Federal Government to fulfil its promise to address ocean erosion, which it said, affected strategic parts of the state before it took the initiative to build the Eko Atlantic City as a permanent solution to the ecological challenge.

The state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), explained the state's response to ecological challenges during an inspection of some strategic projects in Lekki and Victoria Island yesterday, noting that the Federal Government had not given assistance to the state government in tackling the challenge.

Fashola, accompanied by the state's Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello and his Works and Infrastructure counterpart, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, among others, inspected the International Arbitration Centre in Lekki, Maternal and Childcare Centre in Ajah, Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road project, Fairmont Garden Mixed Development and Dolphin jetty project.

During the inspection, the governor expressed the resolve of the state government "to protect lives and property along the shore. It is a major ecological challenge for the state. We are going to build and protect for another 7.3 kilometres and that would get to Alpha Beach.

"Last August, we had a big storm when the Atlantic ran into the Kuramo and threatened all the property in that axis. You will recall that we had to abandoned few projects that we intended to do on that axis and re-ordered our budget so that we could respond to the emergency to safe lives in some of the estates located on the axis.

"We are constructing infrastructure that will limit the ability of the sea to continue to affect the shoreline there and what we have seen in about six months work is very encouraging. We have saved property that would have been submerged.

"If we have not acted, the story would have been different. Perhaps, it is one of the significant projects that our budget implementation achieved last year. There is still a distance to go. That project will last three years. So we have only awarded the first phase."

The governor lamented that in spite of the threat of ocean surge to lives and property along the Atlantic Ocean, the state government "has not received any help from anyone. But we continued because this is the right way to spend tax payers' money."

He, however, explained that the state government "is currently executing about 1,966 projects across the state " and only about 300 of the projects had been inspected so far.




allAfrica.com

What is the logic behind building Eko Atlantic? Why not rather spend the money upgrading Lagos? I have heard a lot about this project. Just dont understand the logic behind it.
They should have spent the money in another interior city close to Lagos. All the reclamation work is just unnecessary as there is still more land inland IMO.

^^
Well, u can have ur opinions, however, they are of no consequence. Haven't u read countless articles on here about the Eko atlantic project? In it's concept, it represents, purely is a shoreline protection initiative. The new city to be built, acts as a supplement to that objective.

They should have spent the money in another interior city close to Lagos. All the reclamation work is just unnecessary as there is still more land inland IMO.
For starters, that so-called "more land inland" is NOT free land.

Furthermore, Eko Atlantic serves the dual purpose of effectively lifelong shoreline protection (by reclaiming land lost to the ocean over the past century) and providing world-class infrastructure for Lagosians to live and work. Finally, it is private money that generates economic activity, livelihoods and wealth for an entire spectrum of scores of Nigerians -- from those currently working on the reclamation project to those that will build it, those that will run it, those that will maintain and secure it to those that will woork there. In other words, from unskilled laborers through semi-skilled artisans, craftesmen and technicians to architects, lawyers, financiers, managers, suppliers, contractors/subcontrators, furniture makers, etc.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/480872_588616201148868_221790806_n.jpg

Eko Atlantic - Infrastructure Works Underway

The developers and planners of Eko Atlantic have begun laying underground pipes that will service the vital drainage and sewage networks of the new city.

Over five kilometres of trenches, four metres deep, have been dug to accommodate a matching length of concrete piping that is between 300mm to 1200mm in diameter. The pipes and connecting manholes are manufactured on site. They are designed to handle water drainage from the road system.

In all civil engineers and construction workers will lay 75 kilometres of piping for phases 1 and 2 of the city's Master Plan.

From their Facebook Page.

^^
Waoh.....nice!

Double post

Naijaborn for governor