Eko Atlantic Explained

Eko Atlantic
Official Name:Nigeria International Commerce city[1]
Settlement Type:City
Image Blank Emblem:Eko Atlantic logo.jpg
Blank Emblem Alt:Eko Atlantic logo
Motto:Live and Work
Pushpin Map:Nigeria
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of Eko Atlantic in Nigeria
Coordinates:6.4°N 3.405°W
Website:EkoAtlantic.com
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Lagos State
Subdivision Type2:LGA(s)
Subdivision Name2:Independent
Established Title:Founded
Established Date:2003
Established Title1:Incorporated
Established Date1:2014
Area Total Km2:25
Area Land Km2:10
Area Water Km2:15
Area Code:010[2]
Leader Title1:Chairman SENL
Leader Name1:David Frame
Leader Title:City Planner
Leader Name:South Energyx Nigeria Limited
Timezone:WAT (UTC+1)
Utc Offset:+1
Footnotes: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 10km2, 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]

Overview

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.

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]

Purpose

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]

Districts

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:

Pricing

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.

Milestones

As of May 2009, while the project was still in its dredging phase, about 3000000m2 had been sand-filled and placed in the reclamation area, while about 35,000 tonnes of rock had been delivered to the site. In certain parts of Bar Beach, the land being reclaimed can already be seen. Dredgers work round the clock to sand-fill the site.

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]

Controversy

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.

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Registered Free Zones in Nigeria . NEPZA . 13 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160906092916/http://www.nepza.gov.ng/freezones.asp . 6 September 2016 . dead .
  2. Book: Bradt Travel Guides. 3rd. Paperback. 978-1-8416-2397-9. Lizzie Williams. 2008. 87. 26 July 2014.
  3. News: Deji . Elumoye . Eko Atlantic city Underway . Thisday (via allAfrica.com) . AllAfrica Global Media . 2007-09-26 . 2008-02-04 . 8 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121008115841/http://allafrica.com/stories/200709260377.html . live .
  4. News: Akinpelu . Dada . Construction work on Eko Atlantic city to commence soon . . 2009-05-18 . 2009-05-21 .
  5. Ajibade, I. (2017). Can a future city enhance urban resilience and sustainability? A political ecology analysis of Eko Atlantic city, Nigeria. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 26, 85-92.
  6. Bentum, K. V., Hoyng, C. W., Van Ledden, M., Luijendijk, A. P., & Stive, M. J. F. (2012). The Lagos coast–Investigation of the long-term morphological impact of the Eko Atlantic City project.
  7. News: Akinpelu . Dada . 'Eko Atlantic City Project has expanded Nigeria's territory – Fashola' . . 2011-03-17 . 2011-07-28 . 18 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110818091105/http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/03/eko-atlantic-city-project-has-expanded-nigeria%E2%80%99s-territory-fashola/ . live .
  8. Web site: Eko Atlantic - About Us . Eko Atlantic . 20 February 2016 . 26 November 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161126120902/http://www.ekoatlantic.com/about-us/ . live .
  9. News: ESTATE FOCUS: Eko Atlantic city, Lagos . sunnewsonline . 12 June 2023 . 12 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230612205324/https://sunnewsonline.com/estate-focus-eko-atlantic-city-lagos/?amp . live .
  10. https://www.northcourtrealestate.com/download/2022%20Nigeria%20Real%20Estate%20Market%20Outlook%20(Compressed).pdf
  11. Web site: The History of The Great Wall of Lagos. Eko Atlantic. 25 January 2021. 28 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128104857/https://www.ekoatlantic.com/education/sea-wall/. live.
  12. News: Fashola Receives Clinton Award For Eko Atlantic City. 29 September 2009. AllAfrica.com. ThisDay. 11 October 2012. 11 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101211234059/http://allafrica.com/stories/200909290203.html. live.
  13. News: A Fairy Tale, Dream Home for the Super-Rich . Akinola . Femi . 19 December 2010 . . 11 October 2012 . Abuja, Nigeria . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131212131334/http://sundaytrust.com.ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5569%3Aa-fairy-tale-dream-home-for-the-super-rich-a-fairy-tale-dream-home-for-the-super-rich&catid=44%3Afeature&Itemid=135 . 12 December 2013 .
  14. News: Projects that will shape real estate sector in 2012 . https://archive.today/20130221220400/http://nationalmirroronline.net/index.php/business/real-estate/29723.html . usurped . 21 February 2013 . Ayeyemi . Dayo . 24 January 2012 . . 11 October 2012 .
  15. Olugboyega, O. (2016). Building Information Modelling-Based Projects in Nigeria Evidences from Eko Atlantic City. PM World Journal, 10, 1-14.
  16. Adelekan, I. (2012). Coastal Cities at Risk. Lagos City Report. Advanced institute in data for coastal cities at risk.
  17. News: Clinton: Eko Atlantic City, Destination for Global Investment . Gboyega Akinsanmi . . Leaders & Company . 22 February 2013 . 22 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130224020642/http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/clinton-eko-atlantic-city-destination-for-global-investment/140277/ . 24 February 2013 .
  18. News: Jonathan, Clinton, Fashola tip Lagos as world tourists' destination . Oluwole Farotimi . Maduka Nweke . amp . . The Sun Publishing Ltd. . 22 February 2013 . 22 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130224173615/http://sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/jonathan-clinton-fashola-tip-lagos-as-world-tourists-destination/ . 24 February 2013 .
  19. Web site: Nigeria's Eko Atlantic open to first residents in 2016 . . 10 March 2014 . 11 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140409044709/http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/Business/Nigeria-s-Eko-Atlantic-open-to-first-residents-in-2016 . 2014-04-09 . dead .
  20. Web site: 2020-10-29. TIMELINE: From May 2018 to Oct 2020 — How Wizkid kept teasing 'Made In Lagos' album. 2020-11-28. TheCable Lifestyle. en-US. 5 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105053818/https://lifestyle.thecable.ng/timeline-from-may-2018-to-oct-2020-how-wizkid-kept-teasing-made-in-lagos-album/. live.
  21. Web site: 2018-12-19. Davido announces a change of venue for his upcoming 'Davido Live' concert. 2020-11-28. Pulse Nigeria. en-US. 2 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202054953/https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/music/davido-returns-to-eko-atlantic-for-davido-live-in-concert/6mj4tfq. live.
  22. News: 2019-02-03. In Pictures: Pain and ecstasy at the Lagos marathon. en-GB. BBC News. 2020-11-28. 8 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201208200108/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47107270. live.
  23. Web site: 2016-12-17. COPA Lagos… Evening of fun at Eko Atlantic. 2020-11-28. The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. en-US. 7 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201207222920/https://t.guardian.ng/saturday-magazine/youth-magazine/copa-lagos-evening-of-fun-at-eko-atlantic/. live.
  24. Web site: 2020-02-18. Eko Atlantic secures first IFC EDGE certification. 2020-11-28. Vanguard News. en-US. 23 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201123212905/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/eko-atlantic-secures-first-ifc-edge-certification/. live.
  25. News: Fear Grips Eko City as Lekki Residents Experience Sea Rise. Okenwa. Stan. 6 February 2012. AllAfrica.com. 29 March 2012. 25 July 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120725001418/http://allafrica.com/stories/201202100540.html. live.
  26. News: Raging Controversy Over City in Atlantic Ocean. Njoku. Jude. 25 January 2012. AllAfrica.com. 11 February 2012. 28 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120128081929/http://allafrica.com/stories/201201250520.html. live.
  27. News: Experts' endorsement for Eko Atlantic city . Iroegbu-Chikezie . Okwy . 31 January 2012 . . 11 February 2012 . Lagos, Nigeria . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120214125056/http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/building-properties/35048-experts%E2%80%99-endorsement-for-eko-atlantic-city.html . 14 February 2012 .
  28. News: Eko Atlantic City: Daring the waves . https://archive.today/20120707081231/http://archive.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20091228454226 . dead . 7 July 2012 . Akinpelu . Dada . 28 December 2009 . . 11 February 2012 . Lagos, Nigeria .
  29. News: Lagos Ocean Surge Levels Kuramo Beach. Ezeobi. Chiemelie. 19 August 2012. AllAfrica.com. ThisDay. 11 October 2012. 21 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121021205233/http://allafrica.com/stories/201208190103.html. live.
  30. News: PDP blames sand filling for ocean surge . 22 August 2012 . . 11 October 2012 . Lagos, Nigeria . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023091753/http://www.punchng.com/news/pdp-blames-sand-filling-for-ocean-surge/ . 23 October 2012 .

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