Eko Atlantic | |
---|---|
City | |
Nigeria International Commerce city [1] | |
Motto(s): Live and Work | |
Coordinates: 06°24′00″N03°24′18″E / 6.40000°N 3.40500°E | |
Country | Nigeria |
State | Lagos State |
LGA(s) | Independent |
Founded | 2003 |
Incorporated | 2014 [1] |
Government | |
• City Planner | South Energyx Nigeria Limited |
• Chairman SENL | David Frame |
Area | |
• Total | 25 km2 (10 sq mi) |
• Land | 10 km2 (4 sq mi) |
• Water | 15 km2 (6 sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (WAT (UTC+1)) |
Area code | 010 [2] |
Website | EkoAtlantic.com |
This project is currently under development |
Eko Atlantic, officially Nigeria International Commerce city, also known as Eko Atlantic City, is a planned city in Lagos State, Nigeria, being constructed on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. [3] Upon completion, the new peninsula is anticipating at least 250,000 residents and a daily flow of 150,000 commuters. The development is also designed to help in stopping the erosion of Lagos city's coastline. [4]
Its main objective is to reduce erosion, which includes future sea level rise and storm surges. On the Lagos Bar Beach, coastal erosion has long been an issue, happening at a rate of 30 m year in particular. Wave tides, littoral movements, and sediment characteristics are examples of natural causes. [5]
Around 1960, man began adding nourishments to the Bar Beach in an effort to stop the significant loss of beach width caused by erosion. Despite being fed with enormous amounts of material, the beach continued to erode. The city of Lagos's expanding population is another issue, as it increases the need for space for residential, commercial, and recreational activities. [6]
The private project developer South Energyx Nigeria Ltd. (SENL) has started the Eko Atlantic City Development Project to address this space shortage as well as the land loss caused by the erosion of the Bar Beach. This project involves reclaiming 9 km² of ground in front of Bar Beach, just east of the East Mole. [6] A revetment with a length of around 8.4 km surrounds the newly recovered area to prevent erosion. Among other things, Royal Haskoning provides advisory services for Eko Atlantic City's marine construction. [6]
The city adjoins Victoria Island district of Lagos city, and the Phase 1 area of Lekki to the north, while the entire Western, eastern and southern borders is a coastline. Eko Atlantic is expected to rise as the next generation of property on the African continent; having a total of 10 districts, spread across a land area of approximately 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi), the city will satisfy needs for financial, commercial, residential and tourist accommodations. [7]
Eko Atlantic development is being carried out as a public–private partnership (PPP) with private companies and investors providing the funding, whilst the Lagos State Government (LASG) is a strategic partner, with the support of the federal government. [8] The contractors are China Communications Construction Group LTD (CCCC), a company that works in the field of marine dredging and landfill operation. Consultants are Royal Haskoning (traffic and transport expertise) and ar+h Architects. South Energyx Nigeria Ltd., a subsidiary of the Chagoury group, was specifically created to undertake the development. Testing of the sea defence system took place at the DHI Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, where models were successfully tested for one-in-a-hundred-year ocean surges, and one-in-120-year, one-in-150-year and one-in-1,000-year storms. [9]
Eko Atlantic will satisfy needs for financial, commercial, residential and tourist accommodations, with infrastructure in line with modern and environmental standards. [10] These standards will offer the city's residents water, waste management, security and transportation systems. The city will also have an independent source of energy generated specifically for the city. [7]
Eko Atlantic is situated on land reclaimed from erosion and is protected by a coastal revetment designed by Royal Haskoning colloquially known as the Great Wall of Lagos, [11] a planned 8.5 km long barrier constructed primarily of rock and faced with concrete accropode armour.[ citation needed ]
The Eko Atlantic City project received global attention in 2009, as the Lagos State Government and its private sector partners on the Project, South Energyx, received the Clinton Global Initiative Commitment Certificate. [12] [13] [14]
In addition to providing a state-of-the-art business district for West Africa, the city aims to restore land lost to coastal erosion over the past century, offer a long-term solution to the erosion problem along Lagos' coastline, shield Victoria Island from ocean surge, and create job opportunities. Seven kilometers of revetment will also be built. [15] [16] The city will have its own bureaucracy and be regarded as a separate municipality. It will have an offshore banking zone and permit investors to transfer money freely. [15]
When the city is finished, it will have 3,000 buildings and 400,000 homes for residential, business, financial, and tourist lodging purposes. [15] Ten districts will make up the city, [15] including:
The cost of a plot of land is dependent on its size and location. Land is sold per m2. Plot sizes in Phases 1 and 2 start from approximately 2,200 m2 and prices per square meter within this phase start from $1,150.
In Phase 3, land within this phase starts from approximately 1,200 m2 mainly for low-rise residential houses where the land prices are at $1,050.
There is no maximum cap on the amount of land that can be purchased. Each plot of land can be used for a residential or commercial development or a mix of both as Eko Atlantic is designed to be a mixed-use city.
The plots in Phases 1 and 2 have been created to accommodate mid to high-rise buildings. In Phase 3, some plots have been created to accommodate single residential dwellings and low-rise developments.
As of May 2009, while the project was still in its dredging phase, about 3,000,000 cubic metres (3,900,000 cu yd) had been sand-filled and placed in the reclamation area, while about 35,000 tonnes of rock had been delivered to the site. [4] In certain parts of Bar Beach, the land being reclaimed can already be seen. Dredgers work round the clock to sand-fill the site.[ citation needed ]
On 21 February 2013, a ceremony was held to mark the reclamation of land of Eko Atlantic, with Goodluck Jonathan, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Babatunde Fashola, Bola Tinubu, Aminu Tambuwal, and Ibikunle Amosun attending. [17] [18]
In March 2014, David Frame, managing director of South Energyx Nigeria Ltd., the firm responsible for the development, confirmed that "The first residential tower will open in 2016". [19]
By November 2020, a few buildings, most notably Eko Pearl Towers, had been completed, with several more under construction and at planning stages. The city had become an active venue for popular afro-concerts and sports events like the Lagos City Marathon and Copa Lagos. [20] [21] [22] [23]
Eko Atlantic City has secured an EDGE certification from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. [24]
The Eko Atlantic project has been criticized by residents living nearby, who say that ongoing construction works have caused coastal erosion and ocean surges. [25] Ocean water surges through living areas, flooding access roads and taking down electricity poles and forcing residents to relocate. The Lagos State Government is also being criticized for failing to involve the people in the project. [26] [27] [28]
In August 2012, the Atlantic Ocean surged and overflowed its banks, sweeping 16 people into the Atlantic Ocean, killing several, and flooding Kuramo Beach, Victoria Island and other areas. [29] According to an environmental expert, "the ocean surge occurred as a result of the failure of the contractors handling the sandfilling activities of the proposed Atlantic Ocean City, to put in place measure that would reduce the effect of the surge on the environment". [30] The Lagos State chapter of the People's Democratic Party issued an official statement, blaming the ACN (now APC)-led state government's sand filling for the ocean surge. The party called for a stop to the Eko Atlantic project and immediate compensation for the bereaved families. [30]
Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimate of 21 million, it is the largest city in Nigeria, and the most populous urban area on the African continent. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until the government's December 1991 decision to move their capital to Abuja in the centre of the country. Lagos is a major African financial centre and is the economic hub of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. The city has a significant influence on commerce, entertainment, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, and fashion in Africa. Lagos is also among the top ten of the world's fastest-growing cities and urban areas. A megacity, it has the fourth-highest GDP in Africa, and houses one of the largest and busiest seaports on the continent. Due to the large urban population and port traffic volumes, Lagos is classified as a Medium-Port Megacity.
Lagos State is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 Nigerian states, it is the second most populous state but the smallest in area. Bounded to the south by the Bight of Benin and to the west by the international border with Benin for 10 km, Lagos State borders Ogun State to the north for about 283 km, making it the only Nigerian state to border only one other state. Named for the city of Lagos—the most populous city in Africa—the state was formed from the Western Region and the former Federal Capital Territory on 27 May 1967.
Victoria Island (VI) is an affluent area that encompasses a former island of the same name neighbouring Lagos Island, Ikoyi and the Lekki Peninsula by the Lagos Lagoon. It is the main business and financial centre of Lagos State, Nigeria. Victoria Island is one of the most exclusive and expensive areas to reside in Lagos. The town and island lie within the boundaries of the Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA).
Lagos Island is the principal and central Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos, Nigeria. It was the capital of Lagos State until 1957. It is part of the Lagos Division. As of the preliminary 2006 Nigerian census, the LGA had a population of 209,437 within an area of just 8.7 km2. The LGA only covers the western half of Lagos Island; the eastern half is simply referred to as Lagos Island East LCDA.
Epe is a town and Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos State, Nigeria located on the north side of the Lekki Lagoon and about 90 km from Ibadan. During the 2006 Census, the population of Epe was approximately 181,409.
Eko Bridge is one of three bridges connecting Lagos Island to the mainland, the others being the Third Mainland and Carter bridges. The bridge was built in 1975 and is the shortest of the three bridges linking Lagos Island to mainland.
Musiliu Babatunde Obanikoro is a Nigerian politician. He served as Senator for Lagos Central from 2003 to 2007, and was later appointed High Commissioner to Ghana. He briefly served as minister of State for Defence in 2014.
Eti-Osa is a Local Government Area of Lagos State in Nigeria. Lagos State Government administers the council area as Ikoyi-Obalende LCDA, Eti-Osa East, and Iru Victoria Island LCDA. Within Eti-Osa are several important areas of Lagos State, including Lagos' Victoria Island. Before the Nigerian Capital moved to Abuja, Eti-Osa Local Government Area served alongside Lagos Island Local Government Area as the seat of the national capital. Eti-osa used to be the poorest neighborhood in Lagos State until development changed it to become one of the most prosperous areas where the richest Nigerians live in Lagos. Currently Babajide Sanwo Olu is the governor of Lagos State and responsible for the local government setup and delivering government services to the people.
Tourism in Nigeria centers largely on events, due to the country's ample amount of ethnic groups, but also includes rain forests, savannah, waterfalls, and other natural attractions. Tourists spent US$2.6 billion in Nigeria in 2015. This dropped to US$1.5 billion in 2017.
Babatunde Raji FasholaSAN ; born 28 June 1963) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who served as the federal minister of Works and Housing of Nigeria from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as the minister of Power, Works and Housing from 2015 to 2019. He also served two terms as governor of Lagos State from 29 May 2007 to 29 May 2015.
Chagoury Group is a Nigerian multinational business conglomerate headquartered in Lagos, Lagos State. Founded in 1971 by Gilbert R. Chagoury and Ronald Chagoury, their businesses include construction and property development, flour mills, water bottling and purification, glass manufacturing, insurance, hotels, furniture manufacturing, telecommunications, transportation, IT, catering and international financing.
Kuramo Beach is a sandy beach in Lagos, Nigeria, located at the south side of Victoria Island, just east of Bar Beach and south of the Kuramo Waters lagoon. It was the location of numerous illegal shanties and cabins, some of them being used for music entertainment, bars and prostitution. In August 2012, a surge of the Atlantic Ocean hit Kuramo Beach, destroying some of these shacks and killing 16 people. The next day government authorities evacuated the area, demolished the remaining shacks and began to refill the sand.
Eko Hotels and Suites is a five-star conference centre hotel in Lagos.
Bar Beach is a beach on the Atlantic Ocean along the shoreline of Lagos, situated on Victoria Island. For a time, it was the most popular beach in Nigeria especially when Lagos was the capital of the country.
Lekki is a city in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is located to the south-east of Lagos city. Lekki is a naturally formed peninsula, adjoining to its west Victoria Island and Ikoyi districts of Lagos, with the Atlantic Ocean to its south, Lagos Lagoon to the north, and Lekki Lagoon to its east; however, the city's southeast, which ends around the western edge of Refuge Island, adjoins the eastern part of Ibeju-Lekki LGA.
The Lagos Seafood Festival is an annual event in Lagos. It was first held on 10 November 2012 at the Eko Hotel and Suites. The festival is aimed at promoting seafood cuisine culture, local fish production and stimulating investment opportunities in relation to aquaculture and fisheries.
The 2016 Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, also known as the 2016 CAF Beach Soccer Championship, was a beach soccer tournament which took place in Lagos, Nigeria in December, to determine the best beach soccer nation in Africa and doubles as a qualification event for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, with the two finalists progressing to the finals in the Bahamas. This was the first time that the tournament is held in Nigeria.
Shakirudeen "Sola" Giwa is a Nigerian politician and lawmaker in the 8th Lagos State House of Assembly Inaugurated on June 8, 2015.
Eko Pearl Towers is a complex which consists of five residential towers in Eko Atlantic, Lagos State.
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