New Enugu City, one of the flagship projects of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration to reposition Enugu State as the premier destination for business, investment, tourism and for living, has received a major boost, as Nigerian diaspora community in the Guangdong Province of China have profusely keyed into the project.
This was even as Governor Mbah assured that critical services in the first phase of the city would be ready in 12 to 18 months, explaining that the China Communications and Construction Company, CCCC, had since commenced intensive work at the site in October 2023.
They spoke during a roadshow organised in Guangzhou City to market the project, with Nigerians, Ndigbo and Enugu indigenes in the province trouping out en masse to participate and also welcomed the governor with fanfare and cultural music.
The Consul-General of the Nigerian Mission in Guangzhou, Ambassador George Onwuekwe; President of Nigerian community in Guangzhou, Adebutu Olanrewaju; and the President of the Enugu State Association, Guangzhou, Hyacinth Ezeka, commended Mbah for his big dream and investment drive.
Ezeka said: “We are delighted for such development in Enugu State. If the governor continues this way, Enugu State will be the best in South-East and Nigeria. What he is pushing for is the dream we have had for Enugu for a very long time now.
“He has big dreams and he will achieve them with our support. I am advising every Igbo person to invest in Enugu. Coming to Enugu to invest is like ‘Aku ruo ulo’.”
While urging the Nigerian diaspora community to invest in Enugu, Olarenwaju noted that although Guangzhou boasts of many successful Nigerian business, Mbah was the first Nigerian governor and government official to come into that region of China to engage with them.
Speaking with newsmen, Mbah expressed happiness over the high interest in the smart city and assured that the government was working with CCCC to build an iconic smart city that would compete with the best anywhere in the world.
His words: “We understand the value of achieving great economic growth, but we also know that it should also happen in a very conducive residential area and that was essentially what gave birth to the New Enugu City.
“So, we have come to market to them the New Enugu City, which is a smart city, and our engagement with diasporans in the Guangdong Province has been a tremendous success because what we have seen here is a huge expression of interest.
“The people have continually expressed interest to invest and to also come and take up a place at the New Enugu City.
“The new Enugu City is unique. And I think it is the single largest development that is currently going on in the country in terms of real estate. It has the Happy Island that essentially features a wide array of services such as residential area, cutting edge medical centre, and a sports arena.
“We have the Innovative Park with the innovation industrial park. We also have the ICT for the Innovation Park. We have the Vitality Bay, which is essentially going to house the cooperate headquarters of blue-chip companies and also some government offices.
“All the utilities that you need to live there, such as power, water, gas, high-speed internet, are all going to be provided. So, essentially, the City is fully serviced and it is going to be a plug and play for those coming to live there.
“Importantly, we are partnering with CCCC, one of the world’s best. We are also working with a lot of consulting firms from the United Kingdom. So, in the next 12 to 18 months, these services would have all been ready. We should start seeing buildings rise up in the next 12 months.”
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of CCCC Nigeria, Feng Yu, has expressed delight at its partnership with the Mbah Administration to actualise the New Enugu City.
“The project has already started. The development is phase-by-phase. We have confidence to bring our technology and to bring development to Enugu State and Igbo people. We believe that with your cooperation we can contribute to change that area,” he said.
