In a bid to decongest the city of Port Harcourt and extend municipal activities to the port and industrial hubs of Eleme and Onne, Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, has flagged off the construction of the New Port City in Eleme.
The flag-off, which was performed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagago, on behalf of the governor, marked the beginning of a new phase of building new cities outside Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Fubara described the New Port City as a smart city that will be one of its kind in this part of the world. He also disclosed that another project like the New Port City will soon be coming to the Eleme axis, revealing that a law was being prepared to amend the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority to back the new cities project of the state government.
The Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Eleme Local Government, Chief Brain Gokpa, praised the governor for finding Eleme worthy to host such an ambitious project, promising that the people of Eleme would own the project and provide necessary support for its success.
Hon. Oji Ngofa, a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands and leader of the Simplified Movement in Eleme, described the project as the Magnus Opus in the development of Eleme, stating that it will provide the missing link in infrastructure and human capacity development in the area.
Dr. Tonte Davis, Acting Administrator of Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority, said the New Port City, to be developed by Rainbow Heritage Group Limited, is a milestone in the history of Rivers State.
He outlined the city’s features to include port infrastructure, residential districts, commercial agriculture, small and medium scale industries, commercial districts, social facilities, 24-hour independent power supply, roads with bicycle and pedestrian ways, water, solid waste and sewage treatment, parks, and landscapes.
former Nigerian Ambassador Netherland- Oji Ngofa and others
The New Port City is the third tripod of the Greater Port Harcourt City master plan, after the old Port Harcourt city and the airport axis.
A former Commissioner for Information in Rivers State, Mr. Emmanuel Okar, said the New Port City, which is just one of the few smart cities that can found around the world, would open economic corridors in Rivers State and particularly for communities in Eleme Local Government Area.
He urged the people to take advantage of the project and upscale their skills and acumen, saying the people must be very lucky to have the smart city located within their territory.
Eleme and Onne industrial hubs host some of the biggest industries and port infrastructures in the Nigeria. They include the two Port Harcourt refineries at Alesa, Eleme, the Federal Lighter and Federal Ocean Terminals at Onne, the Notore Fertiliser Plant at Onne/Alode axis, the Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals and Fertiliser Complex at Nchia and many more. However, most of the workers and operators in these industries and allied industries however had to travel more that 30 kilometres every day from Port Harcourt.
