Senate moves to revive stalled $18.5 billion Abuja Centenary City project
By Emma Ogbuehi
Hope was rekindled on Tuesday on the possible resuscitation of the stalled Abuja Centenary Economic City as the Senate set up a seven-member ad-hoc committee to look into the factors impeding the completion of the $18.5 billion project.
The ten-year-old project which was commenced in 2014 was designed as a befitting tribute to Nigeria’s 100 years post amalgamation.
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, working with a consortium of firms, was the initiator of the project, designed to deliver a complete city, besides Abuja, to rival any of its kind elsewhere in the world.
It was planned to be an economic hub that could create over 190,000 construction jobs; 250 million permanent well-paying jobs; and providing accommodation for over 200,000 residents.
It was also designated as a free trade zone under the supervision of the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NIPZA), among other regulatory bodies, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
Branded the new heart of Abuja, it was envisioned as a vibrant mixed-use city centered on the principles of sustainable urban development, marking Abuja’s leap into the future as a high-value, knowledge-based community and a new sub-centre to complement Abuja.
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But the project was stalled in 2017, two years after the President Goodluck Jonathan administration in which Anyim, a former Senate President, served as the SGF left office.
But on Tuesday, the red chamber, insisted that the project was of such high value to the country to be abandoned.
The resolutions of the Senate followed its consideration of a motion titled: “Urgent need to revive and complete the stalled Centenary City Project, to realise its economic and development potential” during plenary.
The motion was sponsored by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ashiru Yisa Oyelola (APC – Kwara South).
Oyelola in his lead debate, urged colleagues to note that the Abuja Centenary Economic City project commenced in 2014 through a public private partnership to develop a modern city in the mould of Dubai to commemorate 100 years of Nigeria’s amalgamation celebration.
He therefore urged his colleagues to revisit the project.
The Senate, thereafter, resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to “urgently investigate the factors impeding the completion of the Centenary City Abuja project.”
The Senate specifically mandated the committee “to review the original public-private partnership agreement and recommend amendments, if necessary, to facilitate smooth and expeditious completion of the project within a defined timeframe.”
It also urged the Federal Government “to prioritise the revival of the Abuja Centenary City project by providing appropriate support, resolving regulatory issues, and addressing any other impediments, given its potential benefits to the economy and people of Nigeria after 10 years of stalled progress.”
Oyelola’s motion drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that the original estimated investment for the Abuja Centenary Economic City project was $18.5 billion as of 2014, equivalent to the size of Nigeria’s national budget at today’s exchange rate.”
While arguing his motion, Oyelola cited the $6 billion Eko Atlantic City development project in Lagos as an example of the vision of the Centenary City.
