Darl Uzu: I Was Born to Make a Difference in the Lives of Others
Founding MD/CEO of Crown Realities Plc C Darl Uzu at 70 says his purpose for living, which is making a difference in the lives of others, is what keeps him going. The real estate icon and lead consultant Enyimba Greenfield City tells Nduka Nwosu that the actualisation of the project and bringing people up to continue from where he would stop, would be his goal in the years ahead
How does it feel to be 70?
I have started to feel old, not physically or mentally. I am sure that happens to a lot of people that started early. I have been on the street on my own since 1988. What happens is that you become a dinosaur. All the people you know or met in your line of business when you started are either dead or retired. I connected with top professionals in the industry and captains of industry.
For example, I worked as Head of Development for Knight Frank & Rutley in the 80’s. In that capacity I interacted with professionals in the built environment and banking sector of that generation. The known architectural outfits then were James Cubitt, Interstate, Anolabem, Mokwunye, Trigg Brown & Associates, Habitat, Femi Majekodunmi & Associates etc. Notable quantity surveying firms then would include Tillyard & Partners, Femi Popoola & Partners. Mechanical and electrical outfits were GF Appio, Oscar Fabar that later became Biobaku and Fabers etc. Structural Engineering, Ette Aro, Ove Arup, Adeyemi, Ogundipe & Partners etc. The guys on the block now are names you have not heard before and only come across on projects. Some of them were not even born by then.
What was it like growing up and who has played the most pivotal role in your life?
My generation was coming into adolescence when the Nigerian Civil War broke, we were just juniors in secondary school. Our lives before then were normal, we went to school, did well, played in the street, went to Sunday school, feared our parents. One of them must be the “tyrant”. In my case, my father who died during the war. I finished Secondary School after the war, went to Higher School which was inter BA/BSc during our time. Initially, I went to university to study Medicine and ended up with a first degree in Estate Management.
Estate Management approximated to my passion as a child, I like seeing men in hat standing before what looked like a camera and another holding a long colored and marked pole, after which they make road with caterpillar (dozer). I would have studied Civil Engineering if that was available at Ife at that time. Once I decided not to continue with Medicine providence led me to Ime Ikpo, whom I had known from Oron who was studying Estate Management at Ife. I had seen him with Drawing Boards, surveying around the Biological Science buildings, who romanticized Estate Management as a course and its relationship with Civil Engineering for me.
On hindsight today, I am happy that I studied Estate Management and idolized Prof. Ivoh H. Seeley, who is a Civil Engineer, Builder, Planner and Quantity Surveyor. I strived to be like him by studying for academic and professional degrees across various disciplines in built environment.
I later studied at the Graduate School of Design Harvard University. I taught at the University of Ife for some years and left as Lecturer II, worked with Knight Frank & Rutley Nigeria as Head of Department before setting up Crown Realties Plc with many others. That’s my story.
I think my old lady played the most pivotal role in my life. She taught us hard work, honesty and faith pay in the long run. My brother in-law supported me to complete secondary school after the war, before people could find their feet, that’s a pivotal intervention in my life. I have had a lot of influences nationally and internationally,
What goals and aspirations have you set for yourself going forward say in the next 30 years?
I will be 100 in 30 years, that’s too ambitious. I am rather thinking of the next 10 years by His Grace. After that, I will consider extra time in the field of life as injury time. If the injury time lasts up to 100 years, who knows, I hope to continue to be useful, if I am physically and mentally able.
I have been abundantly blessed. Like my professor in graduate school once said that we have two important dates in our lives, the day we were born and the day we find out why. I think later in my life, I found out why I was born, and I am pursuing that rigorously. I believe that is why I ended up not as a medical doctor and all my work experience locally and internationally, seem like preparation for the role. I want to use my vast knowledge and experience in urban development, the resources God has given me to make a difference in the lives of people in my region and Nigeria, as a whole.
I have started on the journey in the last six years, and I am almost there. I believe I will consolidate the mission in the next 10 years, within that time develop young people that will carry on my vision when I am no more.
What specific guarding principles have contributed to the success you have made?
First is commitment in whatever you do. So, if I am not passionate about something I do not do it. My passion is highest when what I am doing fills a need.
Second, integrity is the most valuable currency for success. Once people remark you as a man who keeps his word, they will build a camp around you in good and bad times.
Last but not least is knowledge; you must keep learning continuously from people that have done what you are doing or want to do.
What landmarks are you leaving behind to mark your ascent to the 70th ladder?
I define my success differently. I have four beautiful kids; I am very proud of them. They have graduated from or are in top universities in the US and UK. Not just my biological children but my entire family. They are smart, very well behaved, independent and self-motivated. That’s my most satisfying achievement as the head of my family. That I am a worthy model to them all.
In professional terms, we have modest landmarks that people remember. I think Crown Estate Lekki is noteworthy. It is a 53.7-hectare estate. Also, Crown Court Estates, Mabushi and Durumi in Abuja are luxury residential neighborhoods with prestigious addresses.
We have various isolated developments in Osborne Ikoyi and Oniru in Victoria Island. We planned a 30-storey mixed use development with Hyatt International in Victoria Island which was halted by various legal disputes after we had spent over N1 billion over 16 years ago (2007). We paid Lagos State Government almost ₦420 million for just planning approval. The sad story of the project will be for another day too.
Currently, we are driving one of the biggest and most ambitious urban development projects in Africa, Enyimba Economic City, Abia State. It is a 9,464 Hectares self-sustaining city. It is a Special Economic Zone. It is a transformative project for the Region and Nigeria.
Can you explain the concept behind Enyimba Economic City (EEC) as a huge industrial complex and modern city?
Enyimba Economic City is a PPP project of our company (Crown Realties Plc) leading the private sector, Abia State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria. As I said earlier, it is a 9,464 hectares of a Greenfield City with expected growth in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, entertainment, education, innovation technology hub, commercial, lifestyle residential and aviation sectors.
The concept is to build a global self-sustaining business hub, that will integrate Nigerian businesses (manufacturing and services) into regional and global value chain. This we will do by building an economic hub central to the 11 South-East and South-South states linked with high grade access roads, rail, airports and seaports that will transform the region.
The project is fully designed, and the first phase is shovel ready and Afreximbank and First Bank Nigeria are supporting the debt finance that has gone for first approval, elaborate Due Diligence with final Term Sheet signed on March 03, 2023. The financial close is expected soon.
Another associate project to the city is that we assembled a Consortium, that we lead that included Enyimba Economic City Development Company FZE (Project Lead); CCECC Nigeria Limited, (EPC); Escher Silverman Global, UK (Technical Adviser, Design & Construction Supervision); Insta – Toll, South Africa (Operations and Maintenance) and Afrinvest (WA) Ltd (Financial Advisory).
We tendered for two major access highways connecting the city: Enugu – Port Harcourt A3 (200km) and Onitsha – Owerri – Aba (161km) highways under the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) program of Federal Government of Nigeria. We emerged preferred bidders on April 21, 2022, and we negotiated the concession early this year and signed the Concession Agreements on May 26, 2023.
With the two (2) roads and an 86 km highway from Azumini in Abia State to Obinze in Owerri, Imo State, we have connected the 11 states of Southsouth/Southeast within 90 minutes driving distance and captive population of 60 million people.
After what models was the city designed?
We looked at Dubai, and various new cities in China. I have always given an example of Dubai as a deliberate global city in modern times. As practitioners, we have followed the growth of Dubai, first as an open market at inception to a cutting-edge innovative city of today. Also, China used the concept of “Safe Spaces” to build a modern economy. You will remember that China was a communist economy. What they did was to create capitalist enclaves with new rules that allow you to own property and make investments for profit, provide first class infrastructure, training schools for the targeted economic sectors and general enablement to drive regional economic development, diversifications and expansions. We are looking at those examples and others.
How committed are the investors?
Of course, the investors are committed. Right now, we have 101 prospective anchor users amongst Nigeria, China and India. We are setting elaborate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) attraction mechanisms to the project.
How much progress has been made on the project?
As I mentioned earlier, the project is fully designed in various phases and Phase 1 is 1,499 hectares (Proof of Concept) that include First Industrial Township and Logistics that have Full Origin and Destination Inland Port that will take off this year. KPMG has completed the study for the Phase 2 Medical City, and we are working on that with The Hospital Company (THC), a Consortium of 50 top medical doctors of Nigerian origin in the US and Europe.
We have all the licenses – Free Trade Zone Development and Operating Licenses from the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA).
We are building our Network Operating Centre (NOC) initially with Double GDP, a subsidiary of Gitlab in the US. Late last year they requested to hand over the soft codes to us to continue, which we have. Since then we have built about 17 sprints that included Business Registration, Security, User Account Management, Gate Access etc. we are currently integrating with the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) platform that was just commissioned last month.
We are completing our take off camp in Osisioma, Aba, that includes office and residential complexes. We have acquired land to build a 4 Star branded hotel at Aba. Accommodation is a very big drawback in the location. We are engaging with Marriott who has proposed the 4 Point brand, the piling on the 10-floor hotel will soon commence and we received building approval early in the year.
Who are the main drivers of the project?
Beyond the promoters, us, Abia State Government and Federal Government of Nigeria, many other partnerships have been formed; an example is Aba IPP (Geometric Power) which is an important partner. We have many other important global brands that we are not at liberty to say their names yet in line with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), until substantial agreements are signed and we obtain clearance to do so from them. Take it from me, it is a first-class international project.
How involved are both the private and public sectors in the project?
The parties are wholly involved, the State Government (Abia State last Administration) and Federal Government of Nigeria. We will engage with the current Government in Abia State when it settles.
What is the involvement of the Afreximbank, IFC and how much FDI is Enyimba expected to attract into Nigeria?
Afreximbank is the Mandated Lead Arrangers (MLA), they are raising debt for us on the first phase of the project, and they are underwriting 75% of the debt while First Bank of Nigeria is providing the remaining 25%. IFC is providing advisory services on the project. They worked with us on all ESG compliances including all PS5/Livelihood Restoration Programs. They are also helping us with manufacturing transfers from around the world on the second phase of their engagement. African Development Bank in 2019 before Covid 19, created Board Room for us on the project in South Africa; they are partners on the project.
How many new direct jobs is Enyimba expected to create?It is projected to create 625,000 direct jobs and probably a couple of million indirect jobs.
Your message to young Nigerians growing up in these times?
“Japa” is not a completely good idea. If it is intended for education, exposure and network it is perfect but if it is intended as an escape from Nigeria to greener pastures, it’s a mistake. The opportunities in Nigeria for them supersede the provisions available to them as immigrants no matter where you are.
How would you want to be remembered?
I made a difference!
