New Enugu City: Splendour, Investment Beckon

Uche Anichukwu

Enugu/Enugwu, as the name implies, is a city built on a hill; and according to the holy book, a city built on a hill cannot be hidden. It is not surprising that Enugu caught the attention of the British, who were essentially on a pilgrimage to acquire resources to bolster their homeland economy.

Besides its alluring scenery aided by its elevation, what lay underground was even more alluring to the British.  With the discovery of the first coal in Nigeria at the Udi Ridge in 1909, plus the confirmation of the mineral in commercial quantities in 1913, the colonialists did not waste time in building the colliery known as the Enugu Coal Camp at the bottom of the Udi Hills. This was followed by the establishment of the first coal mine in 1915 – Udi mine, followed by the Iva Valley mine.

But while all these were going on, the British were already acquiring land from the natives right from the coastal city of Port Harcourt, about 243km south of Enugu, for the Eastern Line railway to cart the coal to the sea for onward journey to Europe where it powered their industries. With the presence of the coal mines, completion of the Eastern Line railway to Enugu in 1916, and setting up of the European Quarters (GRA), the Coal City transformed dramatically, officially attained a township status in 1917.

Ever since, Enugu has continued to play consequential roles in the social, economic, and political lives of the territory today known as Nigeria. In fact, since 1929 when the Coal City functioned as the capital of the southern provinces, it has played the role of capital city defunct Eastern Region, East Central State, old Anambra State, old Enugu State, and the present-day Enugu State. And it was also the capital of the defunct Republic of Biafra and it has remained a highly cosmopolitan city. With such rich history, it did not come as a surprise to many when the Rockefeller Foundation listed Enugu as one of the world’s “100 Resilient Cities” in 2014.

Nevertheless, Enugu is challenged be. It could be imagined how the area, which became officially recognized as a city way back in 1917 must have aged, especially in the absence of any deliberate urban renewal and major infrastructural overhaul to bring it in tune to modern times.

However, in his manifesto, Governor Peter Mbah, proposed to Ndi Enugu to make the state the premier destination for investment, business, tourism, and for living in line with his vision to grow the state’s economy, derisively described as civil service economy, from $4.4bn to $30bn through private sector investments. Sequel to this, he proposed to embark on urban renewal and massive infrastructural development to make Enugu City attractive to tourists and enable it for investments. Among them, he proposed to tackle the perennial water scarcity and deliver water to the city’s homes in 180 days. This promise he fulfilled on Novermber 25, 2023 when he inaugurated the ultra-modern Ninth Mile Corner 24/7 Water Scheme, which includes a 4.4 megawatts gas plant to ensure non-stop water supply. This, coupled with new installations and overhauls at Oji and Ajali Water Schemes have raised water production capacity from occasional 2 million litres to 120 million litres as against the 70 to 75 million litres currently needed to service the state. As he rightly admitted, it is not yet Uhuru, as massive reticulation expansion work and efforts to fix aged and bust pipes, most of which were asbestos products laid by the colonialists and the Okpara regime are ongoing.

In October also, he flagged off the simultaneous construction of 71 roads in the Enugu metropolis, in addition to over ten inter-local government roads.

Nevertheless, it is clear to all, even governments before the Dr. Mbah administration, that the Enugu City as presently constituted can no longer cope with the population, traffic, business, etc. The Coal City lives on past glory – congested, worn out, and out of tune with what a modern city should be. This challenge was recognised by past administrations, such as the Sullivan Chime administration, which commenced the acquisition of lands to help expand the city. However, no further steps were taken in terms of its actualisation.

Meanwhile, Enugu is not alone, hence the quest by governments across the world to set up new cities. According to ArchDaily, new and master-planned cities are emerging all over in the past 20 years, particularly in Latin America, Middle East, and Africa. In fact, about 150 cities are in the making. This is particularly so with emerging markets, which tilt towards new cities as a strategy to leapfrog towards knowledge economies with smart cities that draw foreign investors and tourists.

Therefore, on assumption of office, Mbah swung into action towards realising what he named the New Enugu City in line with his campaign promise. The New Enugu City, which caters for today and the future, measures 9,730.204 hectres that was properly acquired, endorsed by the State House of Assembly and gazetted by the administration. It cuts across five LGAS, namely, Enugu South, Enugu East, Enugu North, Nkanu East, and Nkanu West. The first phase of the project, which Mbah is pursuing with vigour, covers 26 square kilometres and will be delivered in 24 months.

Flagging off the construction of 17km dual carriageway road, feeder roads, and other infrastructure, Governor Mbah explained that the New City, which was awarded to China Communication Construction Company, CCCC, would rub shoulders with any great city in the world. It is noteworthy that China is a leader in developing smart cities and smart cities technologies around the world.

Highlighting the reason and features of the New Enugu City, Mbah said: “We have conceived a city that we believe marks the beginning of our journey to the position and consequential roles we want to play in the affairs of this continent. This will warehouse three Islands, namely the Happy Island, the Vitality Bay, and the Innovation Park. All of these islands are designed with first class city features in mind. All the things that we experience when we travel to Dubai, Singapore, and other major cities in the world, are what we are about to bring to you here in Enugu State because we believe you deserve nothing but the best. 

“This is obviously pursuant to the pledge we have made to Ndi Enugu to grow the economy from its current level of $4.4bn to $30bn in the next four to eight years. This is going to create a veritable platform because in this city, we are going to have a dedicated power project, a dedicated power plant; we are going to have a central sewage system, we are going to have all the public utilities centralised, and it is going to be provided by the government. We are going to have access to high-speed internet. In this New City, there is hardly anything you find in any modern smart city that you will not find in here.”

Meanwhile, it is significant that Governor Mbah is pursuing the project with a human heart. The world over, development, especially a massive one like this, involves displacement of people and businesses. The important thing is how a leader handles such. Mbah understands that he is the father of the state and those who know him closely know that he is a critical thinker. The governor and his technical team had obviously thought through the project.

Although there were originally no relocation and compensation plans at the time of earlier acquisitions, he built compensation and relocation into the New City development plan. Although the communities were by the publicised acquisition starting from previous administrations served notice, Mbah, nevertheless held various consultations with the affected communities in person and through his appointees. 

He has also assured the communities that government would complete the ongoing construction of modern buildings, smart school, Type-2 healthcare centre, roads, and other necessary amenities in their new community and properly relocate them before any demolitions. The government also made provisions for massive farmlands for them in their new  homes.

Also, in realising this massive project, the governor decided to clear the first 1,000 hectares; and there no homes or buildings in the area being currently worked on. The few marked buildings belong to federal institutions. To ensure that no one is left out, he set up the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Property/Land Reconciliation and Compensation in Enugu State chaired by the Secretary to State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia. The Committee has called for submissions, but there are no responses yet, as the contractors are still working in the bushy areas.

Meanwhile, it was the Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist, Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1956), who wrote: “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.” There is no doubt that the Governor Peter Mbah administration in Enugu is pregnant with imagination, which he is fast translating to reality. Thus, as ambitious as the New Enugu City project appears, Mbah is showing that it is realisable. 

He is also deploying highly impressive financing models to actualise this and the people now see that it is within rich, as the overwhelming expression of interest in the New Enugu City from home and overseas clearly shows.

Truly, for Enugu, Tomorrow is Here.

Anichukwu writes from Enugu