On Thursday, 19th December 2019, His Excellency, Chief Willie Obiano, Governor of Anambra state will perform the groundbreaking ceremony of Awka Millennium City or AMC for short, the brand new smart city coming to Awka, the capital of Anambra state.
The Governor will also inaugurate construction facilities at the site of the estate. These actions to be performed by Governor Obiano are to formerly flag off construction work, which according to Dr. Clem Nwogbo, Group Chairman of M-P Infrastructure Ltd, promoters of Awka Millennium City project demonstrates the seriousness of the promoters.
From the pitch deck available on the website, www.AwkaMillenniumCity.com, one could see that it is an ambitious, iconic, master-planned gated- community being run on the Public -Private partnership (PPP) model. AMC will be a large-scale neighbourhood with residential, commercial and recreational uses and amenities, such as schools, leisure and entertainment centers, parks and playgrounds.
The estate will boast of roads built to global standards, as well as drainage, paving, sewage systems, 24/7 security, fibre ducts, regular power, estate maintenance, amazing natural landscaping and parks for families to relax and play. It will have swimming pools, sports facilities etc. It will come with 24 hours CCTV Surveillance and access control, underground cables, water treatment, sidewalks for jogging and sporting activities etc.
These show that there is going to be a whole lifestyle experience for owners and residents of the estate. According to Dr. Nwogbo, the promoters are not just selling land or homes, but are building and guaranteeing a lifestyle community with all its trappings, which when completed will be the very best in the whole of the South East.
The city is located within the 3-Arms Zone in Awka, which will also house the new offices and residencies of members of the executive, judiciary and legislative arms of government. It is located off Adorable School junction, along the old Enugu/Onitsha expressway, Agu-Awka.
Many call this zone the new Awka.
From the descriptions, one can compare Awka Millennium City to similar estates including Banana Island in Ikoyi, Lagos, Carlton Gate estate in Lekki, Lagos and others in Abuja.
Awka Millennium City will be completed in 30 months. However, Phase 1 involving 25 hectares out of the total 100 hectares will be ready within 18 months. The investment value of the project is $46.5 Million with the state government donating the land as equity. Profit sharing ratio is 73% for M-P Infrastructure and 24% for Anambra State Government. 3% has been reserved to fund community social responsibility projects.
The project has been structured in such a way that companies and individuals within the value chain will derive value. The promoters are projecting to create at least 400 direct and indirect jobs. They will be using some local suppliers also. For example, they have engaged Anambra State Hydrafoam Company in a N120M contract to fence the whole project site.
When one considers the trickle down effect of this on the local Anambra economy, then kudos must be given to both Governor Willie Obiano and the Anambra state government for aggressively pursuing the think home (Aku Luo Uno) philosophy which has seen many Ndi Anambra bring their investments home.
Kudos must also be given to Awka, Anambra -state born Dr. Clem Nwogbo and his team at M-P Infrastructure Ltd for keeping faith and believing in our beloved state. It gladdens the heart to read his comments in a recent interview with the media. He said, “We will deliver on the Awka Millennium City project and in record time too. We gave Ndi Anambra that assurance at the MOU signing which held at the Anambra State Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia on Tuesday, June 18,2019”. Continuing, Dr. Nwogbo said, “We have strong footprints in Anambra state and in other states in telecommunications, agriculture and road construction. We bring our professional, financial capacity and competence in all we do. We are stakeholders in the Anambra and Nigeria projects and believe in the long term development of our state. Ndi Anambra should look at what we did at our Lynden Farms project at Igbariam to understand what our Group is all about. We mean business”.
A visit to the site shows the seriousness with which the promoters are taking the project. The access road and street lights into the estate are 90% completed. The iconic monument gate is 70% completed. Front view fencing is nearing completion. The construction yard with ultra-modern batch plant is almost ready. The paving stone and concrete factory, equipment maintenance hanger are at advanced stages of completion. The promoters are inviting people to visit and take a guided tour of the estate as it is one project every Nigerian should be proud of, not just people from the South East.
On the affordability of lands and houses in the estate, Dr. Nwogbo says; “We are not building a billionaire city as some have alleged. This is why in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we are committing to dedicating 25% of the 100 hectares to built-up housing stock for anyone interested to subscribe. This means that M-P Infrastructure will actually build these houses and then offer them for sale to Ndi Anambra and other interested subscribers. The houses will include 5-bedroom, 4-bedroom, terrace and detached homes.
The remaining 75% of the 100 hectares fall under what we call site and services offering where interested subscribers purchase plots of land and build according to approved prototypes”.
Expected at the groundbreaking and inauguration of construction facilities ceremony holding on Thursday, 19th December, 2019 by 10am are Governor Willie Obiano, members of Anambra State Executive Council, senior government officials, Ndi Igwe, Governors of South East and South South states, members of states and national assemblies, civil society organisations, captains of industries, Ndi Anambra and other relevant stakeholders.
The event will take place by 10am at the project site which is located Off Adorable School junction, old Enugu/Onitsha Expressway, Awka.
Awka Millennium City will help transform the way we live, play and work in the South East hence the need to get the buy-in and support of all critical stakeholders. Ndi Anambra and other stakeholders are invited to take advantage of the emerging investment opportunities that Awka Millennium City offers.
Nworah is Managing Director/CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS)
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