Critics have accused Eko Atlantic of being a threat to Lagos, but owners say the smart city is being built to protect the city

Having embarked on arguably the most audacious real estate investment in Nigeria with Eko Atlantic, the owners have high hopes for the smart city.

Privately funded by South Energyx Nigeria Limited and on a reclaimed land from the Atlantic Ocean, Eko Atlantic is being built to be Nigeria's first 'world-class' mega-city, the business hub for West Africa, eventually Africa and residential city of the highest quality.

Investors are being promised a world-class city built with innovative technologies and designs- an independent constant power supply, efficient water and waste management system, fibre optic communication connections to every plot of land, long waterfront and several other features.

Despite these mouth-watering potential benefits, the idea of this mega-city has been met with strong criticisms. Prominent among them is that the land exploitation and dredging for the land reclamation pose a significant threat to Lagos.

The founders say it's the opposite; the smart-city is being built to protect Lagos.

Great Wall of Lagos

The Great Wall of Eko Atlantic (Eko Atlantic) Twitter

During a tour of Eko Atlantic, David Frame, Managing Director at South Energyx explained to Pulse that they developed the smart city to respond to the erosion problems and flooding in Victoria Island.

The city is building an 8.5 kilometres long wall to prevent water from eating up the shoreline and protect against ocean storms. The wall is 18 meters high and 45 meters wide and surrounds Eko Atlantic.

This wall addresses this erosion problem and is made of 12 layers of rock and concrete, including a layer of giant interlocking, x-shaped concrete blocks called accropodes.

The ocean now hits the wall instead of surging towards Victoria Island to cause erosion.

The Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) has carried out extensive tests on the wall with even the most impossible storm estimations, and it passed.

Real estate solutions

Frame also explained that the city addresses the shortage of real estate in Lagos. "One of the main benefits of this city is to decongest Victoria Island and Lagos," Frame said.

Pricing

But how it can solve real estate needs when it's too expensive for the larger populace? This has been a valid criticism of the project because it will be too costly to address Lagos' real estate needs.

A note on Eko Atlantic website says, "while the city will naturally feature a range of high end luxury apartments, it also houses many opportunities for more competitively-priced accommodation."

Frame also insists that their prices are still below those of their competitors.

The prices of these properties ranging from apartments to lands, are still on the high end. Frame admits this but states that the city will also benefit people who can't afford to buy any properties at Eko Atlantic.

When completed, the city is estimated to have about 250,000 residents and around the same number of commuters; this will, in turn, have a significant impact on the economy of Lagos and Nigeria.