Africa's cities are running out of land, prompting a real-estate
developer here to erect what might be Africa's ritziest district on a
beach long known as a haven for day laborers and beer tipplers.
The shacks that crowded the shoreline called Bar Beach are gone,
replaced by construction tents. Families who squatted here were evicted.
For the past four years, a Lebanese-Nigerian property developer has
hosed sand into the ocean, creating new land for planned jogging paths,
yacht jetties and condominiums with helipads for 250,000 opulent
Nigerians.
The new Eko Atlantic township is emblematic of a booming business in
Africa in which developers build walled-off cities for the very rich on a
continent that is still the world's poorest.
Developer Gilbert Chagoury, founder of Nigeria's Chagoury Group, is
the epitome of Africa's moneyed class: Aside from a friendship with Bill
Clinton, whose 1996 presidential campaign he helped fund, Mr. Chagoury
boasts an ambassadorship from St. Lucia to the Vatican and a gallery in
the Louvre named after him and his wife, both contributors.
Flush with funding from French banks that are enticed by Africa's
rapid growth, the 67-year-old Mr. Chagoury is aiming to cap his career
with the most colossal real-estate project in West Africa.
"This is going to be the equivalent of Champs Élysées in Paris or
Fifth Avenue in New York," says David Frame, managing director of South
EnergX, a construction unit of Chagoury Group. He was standing on a
gravel road that will be paved into an eight-lane boulevard, ending at a
gated exit into the rest of Lagos.
Africa has the world's fastest-growing cities, according to the
United Nations. Its current urban population of 450 million is expected
to triple in the next four decades.
As vacant land vanishes in African cities, foreign investors are
responding with the creation of new cities out of forests, grasslands
and landfill. Investors expect to wring big profits from offering
Africa's wealthy places to live, work and shop away from the crumbling
infrastructure and squalor of old cities.
But those projects have come under fire from critics who point out
that they will in no way alleviate the housing crisis hitting the
majority of the population. In Lagos, few will be able to afford Eko
Atlantic's glass tower condos.
Meanwhile, some of these gargantuan projects are struggling.
Renaissance Capital Financial Holdings Ltd. of Moscow plans to build a
city for 62,000 people on a coffee farm outside Nairobi, Kenya, and a
similar-size project on a pepper field near Ghana's capital of Accra.
The coffee farm in Kenya is still just that, as Renaissance works out
a dispute with shareholders. The project in Ghana is mired in a
disagreement between local chiefs over who owns the pepper field.
China International Trust and Investment Corp. built a $3.5 billion
city for 500,000 people near Angola's capital, Luanda. The suburb opened
in 2011 but remains a ghost town, as the government strains to sell the
$200,000 condos to a population whose per-capita income is $6,000 a
year.
Mr. Chagoury hopes that Eko Atlantic will be different. Project
executives point to Lagos's population of oil-rich elites, which is both
larger than that of Luanda's and readier to pay top dollar for clean
streets and modern infrastructure. They decline to say how much Eko
Atlantic will cost, other to say it will be "in the billions" of
dollars.
Their city, Lagos, is crowded and chaotic. Its population grows by
nine people every 10 minutes, according to the U.N., which estimates
that Lagos has 11 million people and is the world's fastest-growing
megacity. The Nigerian government puts the city's total population at 21
million.
Even in posh neighborhoods, sewage bubbles up from open ditches. For
want of office towers, hundreds of companies squeeze their headquarters
into moldy midcentury ranch houses. At lunch, many companies turn off
their lights to rest chugging electric generators. To escape choking
traffic, many elites commute by helicopter or yacht.
What little housing there is for Nigeria's growing middle class is
pricey. Average rent on a three-bedroom apartment in downtown Lagos is
$3,624 a month, according to Dubai-based research firm Reidin. Landlords
usually expect two years of rent in advance, preferably paid in U.S.
dollars. It is a challenge for Nigeria's middle class, whose income
averages about $600 a month, according to Renaissance Capital.
Buying is just as tough. City records on land ownership are a mess,
stockpiled or missing. Swindles involving forged titles and the
fraudulent sale of villas are common.
Home loans come with double-digit interest rates. In a country of 167
million people, there are only 20,000 mortgages, according to Nigeria's
finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
To keep pace, construction activity expands by 13% a year, according
to government statistics. Architect Ade Laoye estimates that Lagos needs
at least needs 10,000 additional houses a year.
"We don't have the architects, electricians, bricklayers, engineers, the builders," Mr. Laoye says.
One person who does have resources is Mr. Chagoury, a Nigerian-born
construction magnate. He got his first taste of city-making in the
1990s, when the government hired him to construct a small banana-shaped
peninsula now dotted with million-dollar homes.
In 2003, Lagos's government approached Mr. Chagoury with a problem.
Waves were crashing over Bar Beach, washing away some of the drug scene,
but also flooding shore-side avenues and wetting the lobbies of
important Nigerian companies.
He returned with an offer to build a sea wall without charge. In
return, Lagos's government allowed his company to dredge sand from the
bottom of the Atlantic Ocean—and shoot it out of a hose to create 3.9
square miles of beach.
The square mile poured so far is a panorama of sand, resembling the
Sahara. Manhole covers pop up several feet above the dunes as the
skeletal beginnings of a drainage system. Near the ocean, cranes drop
X-shaped blocks to make a sea wall.
Mr. Chagoury declined requests for an interview. But project
executives say that they already have sold all but two of the several
dozen building sites on the sandlot. Buyers plan an international
school, high-rise condos, spas, headquarters for several oil companies, a
conference center shaped like the sails of a boat and a U-shaped office
tower called Unity.
Lower-end developers worry such endeavors will inflate the cost of
building materials for years to come. An already stretched supply of
bricklayers and cement mixers will leave to work here.
Developers like Michel El Chemor are unapologetic about catering to
the top end of Nigeria's property market. He bought a plot from Mr.
Chagoury for the site's first skyscraper: a $50 million, 24-story condo
called Eko Pearl. It will peer out over a marina—and the smog and
skyline of Lagos.
"I'm sorry to say, but it's chaos in Lagos," he says. "They're going
to need to destroy what they had before and rebuild it, which will take a
long time."
Wall Street Journal
Related story: Nigeria's growing middle class
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Why President Barack Obama shunned Nigeria
The United States yesterday explained why President Barack Obama won’t visit Nigeria during his upcoming three-nation trip to Africa.
The reason, top US officials said was not unconnected to the current security challenges in the country.
The US government said Obama’s visit would focus on trade and investment, democratic institution-building, young people, and enhancement of economic growth.
American Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, made the clarification at a press briefing on Tuesday.
The briefing was addressed jointly with the Senior Director for African Affairs, Grant Harris and Senior Director for Development and Democracy, Gayle Smith..
The text of the briefing was made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Information Office of the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy.
Rhodes said, “With respect to Nigeria, we certainly believe that Nigeria is fundamentally an important country to the future of Africa. We have put a lot of investments in the relationship with Nigeria through their leadership of ECOWAS, through the significant US business investment in Nigeria and through our security cooperation.
“Obviously, Nigeria is working through some very challenging security issues right now. And in that process, they’re going to be a partner of the United States. We certainly believe we’ll have an opportunity to further engage the Nigerian government through bilateral meetings going forward. But at this point, we just were not able to make it to Nigeria on this particular itinerary.
“I will say that we purposefully designed the itineraries to be able to reach West Africa, South Africa and East Africa, and in West Africa, to visit Senegal, a French-speaking, Muslim-majority democracy that is an important partner of the United States and also provide a platform for the President to speak to the broader region.’
The reason, top US officials said was not unconnected to the current security challenges in the country.
The US government said Obama’s visit would focus on trade and investment, democratic institution-building, young people, and enhancement of economic growth.
American Deputy National Security Advisor, Ben Rhodes, made the clarification at a press briefing on Tuesday.
The briefing was addressed jointly with the Senior Director for African Affairs, Grant Harris and Senior Director for Development and Democracy, Gayle Smith..
The text of the briefing was made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Information Office of the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy.
Rhodes said, “With respect to Nigeria, we certainly believe that Nigeria is fundamentally an important country to the future of Africa. We have put a lot of investments in the relationship with Nigeria through their leadership of ECOWAS, through the significant US business investment in Nigeria and through our security cooperation.
“Obviously, Nigeria is working through some very challenging security issues right now. And in that process, they’re going to be a partner of the United States. We certainly believe we’ll have an opportunity to further engage the Nigerian government through bilateral meetings going forward. But at this point, we just were not able to make it to Nigeria on this particular itinerary.
“I will say that we purposefully designed the itineraries to be able to reach West Africa, South Africa and East Africa, and in West Africa, to visit Senegal, a French-speaking, Muslim-majority democracy that is an important partner of the United States and also provide a platform for the President to speak to the broader region.’
Friday, June 21, 2013
About 200 Nigerian women trafficked to Russia for prostitution monthly
Nigeria’s ambassador to Russia has said that no fewer than 200 Nigerians girls are trafficked every month into Moscow.
Ambassador Asam Asam, who disclosed this in an interview in Berlin, said that the crime had declined in Western Europe following strict laws on illegal migration and joint efforts by the Nigerian government.
However, attention had shifted to Eastern Europe as the new destination for the trade.
“The major consular challenge we face in Moscow is the influx of trafficked persons from Nigeria. Not less than 200 girls are trafficked every month, and we have so many of them exposed to danger,” the ambassador revealed.
“Some are thrown out of the window and treated harshly. There must be a way of stopping these racketeering , these girls are not tourists, students or government officials yet they are given visas from the Russian embassy in Abuja.”
So far we have deported over 240 girls since 2012, you will be shocked, at the extent of resistance from the girls, we tell them Russia is not a destination for prostitutes yet they still come.”
According to him, the mission tries to curb the menace by arranging deportation for those caught, but the challenges are enormous.
“For instance a well known Russian human trafficker who has been in the trade for about 20 years was caught in Nigeria,” Asam said.
“The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) was on the verge of releasing her before I filed a protest from Moscow to the Comptroller General of Immigration.”
The ambassador said even some of the parents of those trafficked encourage their children
“I spoke to the mother of one of the girls and she said her daughter should remain in Moscow and try to survive the ordeal; this is very sad indeed coming from one’s parent.’’
He tasked the media on sensitising the public on the dangers of trafficking in Russia, saying: “This East European nation has become a new destination for them, and believe me it is a very big crime here.’’
Asam, however, said that other Nigerians who reside in that country were students and professionals in various fields of endeavour.
Ambassador Asam Asam, who disclosed this in an interview in Berlin, said that the crime had declined in Western Europe following strict laws on illegal migration and joint efforts by the Nigerian government.
However, attention had shifted to Eastern Europe as the new destination for the trade.
“The major consular challenge we face in Moscow is the influx of trafficked persons from Nigeria. Not less than 200 girls are trafficked every month, and we have so many of them exposed to danger,” the ambassador revealed.
“Some are thrown out of the window and treated harshly. There must be a way of stopping these racketeering , these girls are not tourists, students or government officials yet they are given visas from the Russian embassy in Abuja.”
So far we have deported over 240 girls since 2012, you will be shocked, at the extent of resistance from the girls, we tell them Russia is not a destination for prostitutes yet they still come.”
According to him, the mission tries to curb the menace by arranging deportation for those caught, but the challenges are enormous.
“For instance a well known Russian human trafficker who has been in the trade for about 20 years was caught in Nigeria,” Asam said.
“The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) was on the verge of releasing her before I filed a protest from Moscow to the Comptroller General of Immigration.”
The ambassador said even some of the parents of those trafficked encourage their children
“I spoke to the mother of one of the girls and she said her daughter should remain in Moscow and try to survive the ordeal; this is very sad indeed coming from one’s parent.’’
He tasked the media on sensitising the public on the dangers of trafficking in Russia, saying: “This East European nation has become a new destination for them, and believe me it is a very big crime here.’’
Asam, however, said that other Nigerians who reside in that country were students and professionals in various fields of endeavour.
Video - Uruguay beat Nigeria in Confed Cup
Diego Forlan marked his 100th international appearance with the winner as Uruguay beat Nigeria at the Confederations Cup.
The former Manchester United's strike brought to an end Stephen Keshi's long 18-match unbeaten run in competitve games.
Uruguay captain Diego Lugano opened the scoring in the first half with a scuffed finish from Forlan's cross.
Chelsea's John Mikel Obi equalised just before the break with a curled finish.
But Forlan ended a 12-game international drought with a powerful strike from the edge of the area early in the second half.
The win, Uruguay's first at the tournament, could have been more comfortable but Napoli striker Edinson Cavani was guilty of spurning a couple of decent chances.
Uruguay move level on three points with Nigeria in Group B, three behind leaders Spain.
They take on Tahiti on Sunday in their final group game, while Nigeria play Spain.
Meanwhile, in the first game of the group, Fernando Torres scored four goals and David Villa grabbed three as Spain completed a resounding Confederations Cup win over Tahiti.
Chelsea's Torres beat Tahiti goalkeeper Mikael Roche and waltzed past Roche again after David Silva's finish.
Villa then scored either side of half-time before the Spanish forwards sealed their hat-tricks from crosses.
Juan Mata made it 8-0 and Torres ran in a fourth after missing a penalty before Silva pinched a second late on.
Spain are not assured of their place in the semi-final just yet but they look odds-on to reach the last four after this record win in the competition.
And although the scoreline marked the gulf in class between the two sides, Tahiti once again won new fans with their willingness to get on the scoresheet rather than defend in numbers.
The defeat matched a record loss for the South Pacific islanders, who lost by the same scoreline against New Zealand in 2004, but their endeavour and undoubted class made this occasion far more than a straightforward thumping.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
92 percent of Nigerians support anit-gay law
A new weekly poll has revealed that 92 per cent of Nigerians are in support of the proposed Anti Same-Sex Bill. The weekly poll conducted by NOI Polls Limited from June 4 - 6 in Nigeria also revealed that the reason behind their support revolve around morality and religion.
According to results of the poll, most Nigerians are of the opinion that the proposed bill is not an infringement on the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) community because homosexuality is not in their culture as Nigerians. These are two of the key findings from the recent Fundamental Human Rights Poll.
The House of Representatives had on May 30th 2013, passed the Anti Same Sex Marriage Bill that makes same-sex unions in Nigeria a criminal offence punishable by a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The bill also criminalises public displays of affection by same-gender partners.
The bill also states that "any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organisations directly or indirectly, makes a public show of a same-sex amorous relationship commits an offence and shall be liable to a term of 10 years imprisonment."
Under the existing Nigerian Federal Law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislates for a much broader crackdown on homosexuals and lesbians, who already live largely in an underground existence.
But according to Rashidi Williams, the Director of Nigeria's Queer Alliance Rights Group, "The Bill takes away the fundamental rights accorded Nigerians under the constitution. This is really, not a pressing national issue."
However, to explore the views of Nigerians regarding homosexuality and level of ratification, NOI Polls conducted its latest poll on Fundamental Human Rights with the expectation that the results from the poll will contribute to the on-going discussion, and particularly highlight the perceptions of Nigerians regarding rights of the LGBT community in Nigeria.
Respondents to the poll were asked five specific questions. First, in order to ascertain the level of awareness of the new proposed law to make same-sex marriage punishable by imprisonment, respondents were asked: "Are you aware of the recent legislative vote by the House of Representative banning same sex marriages in Nigeria? Why do you think it is an infringement/not an infringement on the human rights of LGBT community?
To what extent do you support or oppose the bill recently passed by the House of Representatives? To what extent do you agree or disagree with the claim that homosexuality is not part of the culture of Nigerians? Overall, 69 percent of the respondents were aware of the legislative vote banning same sex marriage.
The results showed that the North-central, North East and South-South have the highest level of awareness with 75 percent. Ninety- two percent (92%) of the respondents supported the Bill, 5 percent oppose the bill and 3 percent were neutral. Also, 85 percent of the respondents strongly agree that homosexuality was not part of the Nigerian culture.
On if the proposed law was an infringement on the human rights of LGBT community, majority of respondents were of the opinion that the proposed law is not an infringement on their rights. The poll in conclusion, revealed that Nigerians generally support the proposed bill and mostly agree that homosexuality is not a part of the Nigerian culture and majority do not think that the proposed bill is an infringement on the human rights of the people in the LGBT community.
Related stories: Anti-gay bill to make it easier for asylum seekers
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