By: Ike Philip Abiagom & Tony Okwunebe

CEO, Gateway City Park Limited
Gateway City is a new City Development situated by the bank of the River Niger – Asaba side. The waterfront development is the kind of development the world is looking at today, containing the largest market in the world. It shall have in it 35 Malls containing 22,000 shops and 15,000 Housing Units, Amusement Parks, Hotels, Hospitals and all trappings of a city. It is a world class Housing Estate for High Income Earners.
In an exclusive interview with a team of Publishers in Asaba the Delta State capital, the Executive Chairman Gateway Parks Limited, Chief Frank Ogujiuba, disclosed that the first phase of the Project will provide 40,000 jobs during the construction stage and about 12-15,000 post construction jobs. It will have its own River Port so that goods can come in straight and get into the market without trucking. He disclosed that the investment is worth a billion dollars and the construction would last for over 15 years.
Hear him:
What is this Project all about and why bringing it to Asaba where there are other places it could be sighted?
Gateway City is a new City development that is going to be situated by the banks of the River Niger – Asaba side. Because of the iconic location, by the Niger, Asaba seems to be the best place for it now because the Onitsha side is already fully developed down to the water bank. However, the kind of planning we’re doing now is to make sure we achieve the best kind of development standard so that we don’t have to allow people to come and build slumps.
The waterfront development is the kind of development the world is looking at today and if you do not regulate it properly or plan it properly, you will find out that slumps would spring up there and mess up the place. God has given us that location and a very wonderful place, because of the water and the islands and the terrain. So, we want to do something beautiful. The largest market in the world will be developed there. It’s not the normal lock up shops, but there are going to be 35 Malls containing 22,000 shops. It’s going to be the biggest shopping arcade in the world. It will have its own river port so that goods can come in straight and get into the market without trucking. We’re going to have 1,000 Housing Units developed there. It’s a brand new City with Amusement Parks, Hotels, Hospitals and all the trappings of a City. By the grace of God, construction will kick of very soon and it would create employment for Asaba and Delta State. We’re looking at 40,000 jobs during construction and about 12-1,000 post construction jobs.

Executive Chairman Gateway City Park Limited
This Project is going to change the narratives and the story-line of Delta State. This project will put Asaba on the map of the world, because its going to be about the biggest private development that’s going to happen in West Africa, the environment of Asaba, the landscape and everything about Asaba and Delta State.
The area in question is subject to flooding. What are the measures put in place to mitigate the perennial flooding in that place?
We’re doing what is called the Shoreline protection, a hybrid of principles. We’re going to do piling, hard wall re-enforced concrete walls and all that. The Shoreline is going to be well protected and there’s going to be sand filling – we’re going to recover the land, to get it to be higher than the Expressway so that the land that would be recovered will be higher than the Expressway which is the benchmark. The flooding will end – this project will put an end to flooding.
Today, we’re doing a Public Hearing for the EIA so that we can find out how this development will impact other areas – because you can prevent flooding in one area and cause immense flooding in another area. But we’re trying to mitigate against all these things to have a balanced development to make sure that the good thing we’re doing there does not cause bad effects somewhere else.
When you said the land would be sand filled a little bit higher than the Expressway, can’t that lead to flooding on the major highway?
No! Because the only water you would see on the highway would be rain which would drain off. But the flooding that comes from the overflow of the river will not come anymore.
Looking at the establishment of this Project which would be one of its kind in Nigeria, how did the idea of this concept come to you as the Chairman of this project?
We have been in Real Estate Development for some time and when you are at places like Lagos and see what wonders they have done with their waterfront – I looked at our own just being a flood plane in the South-South and South-East – its just a flood plane and destroying lives and property sometimes. We looked at it and said, its better we come and make it in a way to become something. Despite the fact that it is a flood plane and every year people pack out of their homes, destroys lives and property, we can as well develop it. And there’s no law that says that every investment must stay outside this region and everybody has to go elsewhere. It can be here also. Delta has the potential of being one of the finest states in the world. So, why cant it be here? Why do we have to do it elsewhere, when we have the land already when we have the waterfront already, we have everything there. We should make these places good.
What is the duration of this project?
Construction will last as long as 15 years. It will start this July 2024 and it continues – because by the time you develop the shoreline and do infrastructure then buildings will start. And you can say you’re going to do 15,000 Housing Units in 1-2 years. So, in the next 15 years we’re still on site working. In 15 years’ time the site would have been fully developed. It’s a City that would have its own power. We’re arranging for 120MW of power to run the City.
The site is along the NIWA highway. What is the synergy between your company and NIWA?
The land is a concession from NIWA. NIWA is our official landlord – principal landlord and has conceded the land for this development. There is a partnership with NIWA.
The impact of this project would be highly felt but I have a reservation on maintenance and sustainability in terms of the economic situation of Nigeria. What is the contingency plans for maintenance of such an edifice after 15 years?
For as long as I’m alive and I remain the Executive Chairman of Gateway Parks Ltd. and I’m part of the people doing this transaction, I do not think we can attract that level of investment then allow it to waste, because we’re talking of an investment of almost a billion dollars. You don’t bring such money and watch it waste, because you have to pay back. By the time we finish recovering the money and doing everything, it would have become a culture to live well. By the time you live in a particular lifestyle for 10-15 years of recovery of money, it would have become part of your life to live in a good environment – so you would want to maintain it – its natural.
What kind of persons would own property there?
The people who have capacity. Because of the nature of the land and by the time the land is recovered and infrastructure put on it, the land can no longer come cheap. So, low income earners cannot afford it. I don’t know how many low income earners that can afford a land of N100 million in Nigeria.
Who are the people behind this Capital intensive project? Is it powered by your company alone or along with foreign partners?
Yes! We have foreign partners partnering for different aspects of the development. Like you’re talking about power generation, water reticulation among other features in the project, there are people who are doing the indices of the separate components. The funds will also come separately for each component, its not like a general funding. There’s funding coming for power, there’s funding coming for infrastructure, funding coming for buildings – each one is separated from the other and collectively we will achieve the dream.
What is the role of Delta State Government in this project?
The Executive Governor of Delta State is a man of vision. In my own understanding he’s a great person. The little time we have had to communicate with him on this project shows me that he has a vision for Delta State and he has the will power to achieve it. He has the vision and the will and he wants to achieve it. And we pray that God gives him the strength to overcome the little implements that comes with bureaucracy and some people around government that would never want to do something good for government. The Governor is not that kind of a person. The Governor is doing something for the collective good of Deltans.
Has the Governor given a nod to the project to be sited in where it is?
It depends on what you call a nod because the land in question is owned by the Federal Government. We have his consent to do this but officially the approval is from the Federal Government. The world would be expected during the ground breaking ceremony and the date will be communicated to you. Thank you.
In same development, the Environmental Management Consultant Gateway Parks Limited, Engr Agbeyi Parkem also said that the Project is about Land Production and Development and Development, building a world class market and also building a world class Housing Estate for High Income Earners. This is going to be the largest market in the whole world and first of its kind in the whole of world, fitted with modern things that would last for long time. What we’re building here is zero maintenance for at least a period of 40 years before talking about maintenance. So, it’s a very large project.
Siting the project on NIWA highway and waterlogged environment, what informed the use of that area of Asaba in Delta State?
The reason is that land has to be produced before any construction takes place. And the land is also there which is lying fallow. It has a very high marketable value. The reason why we’re citing this market there is because we do not have Container Parks in this area too and 65% of the Containers landing in Lagos is coming to the East. So, if we get a Container Park here, we would absolve that 65% and also enable us to deal with these materials in a very methodical way.
Apart from that, this project is for the South-East and South-South –a combination of the two regions. Its very strategic and not for the East alone but for the South as well. Why we’re citing this project in that location is because of the Coastal line too plus the presence of the 2nd Niger Bridge and the situation of an inland Port in this area which will reduce the congestion of Containers in Lagos. The planning of this very project has taken some time, we envisage that some years from now a Port would be developed and things would be coming in directly to this place and the 2nd Niger Bridge is taking this road down. This is a road project awarded by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, but it was not completed. We’re envisaging a lot of complex matrix that is playing out with this project. Its very important.
What would be the impact on job creation?
There will be massive employment. The whole of the project is driven by local people, we’re not adding foreign experts to come and do this project for us, its locals. Most of the things we’re going to use for this project will be locally made. There are manufacturing that would take place in the East especially in Anambra and within this area. Manufacturing would be very high. If we talk about employment, this project at its peak 15 years from now would have absolved close to 500,000 workers, and most of them are going to be professionals.
What about the supply of power to the project?
We’re going to build power by ourselves, we’re not going to rely on Federal Government or the National Grid. If we have to keep power – as a lot of things there are going to be automatic – and if they’re automatic, you need power by yourself. For this first aspect of the project, we need about 25MW of electricity. We also have a sewage Engineer, Engr. Hope. The design is there and nothing is going to go out of that place without being treated. Thank you.