Construction of Zeeks Pearl, the first 10-storey luxury apartment in Apapa, Lagos began last week, following a ground-breaking ceremony performed by the Most Rev. Dr. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo, Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, reports Bennett Oghifo
Like Ikoyi, Apapa is set to have tall luxury apartments, as CMB Building Maintenance & Investment Company Limited begins the construction of Zeeks Pearl Apartments, the first 10-storey residential building in the GRA axis of the port city.
The exquisite project is being executed in collaboration with a renowned investor, Sir Ezekiel Ainabe, whose 70th birthday coincided with the sod-turning ceremony that was undertaken by The Most Rev. Dr. Ephraim Adebola Ademowo, Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos.
Sir Ainabe welcomed the Archbishop, extoling him as someone who loves good things and that he was honoured to have his presence, adding that it was a rare honour.
He said the developer, CMB had some challenges getting an approval for the building to start but that it eventually got it and that they were about to begin the construction of the high-rise building.
“We are adhering to the policy of the federal government on local content development in rendering this project. We are encouraging the use of local content so that we can employ our people. This project will employ not less than 5,000 people,” he said.
Managing Director of CMB, Mr. Kelechukwu Mbagwu, said after the sod-turning ceremony, they would begin the construction a 10-storey luxury residential apartments with a penthouse.
Mbagwu said the estate would comprise two blocks of 40 units of tastefully finished 3 bedroom apartments with a service quarter and a pent house apartment. The estate will boast of facilities such as alternative power supply, potable water supply, adequate parking space, landscaped area, elevators, fire escape, a serene environment and facility management services.
According to him, Apapa has had its problems with traffic but that things were looking up and they residents expect the situation to get better soon.
He said the foremost real estate development company, CMB, had over 13 years’ experience and 18 projects across Nigeria, and that the Apapa high-rise would boost its affordable portfolio of real estate development.
Zeeks Pearl is strategically located in Apapa GRA on Sir Ezekiel Ainabe Close. Its location is strategic because Apapa is the major port of the city of Lagos, Nigeria, and is located to the west of Lagos Island, across Lagos Harbour. It accommodates three of the nation’s biggest seaports within its precinct. Set apart by its close proximity to the water, Apapa is divided into a commercial section and a residential neighbourhood, the serene Government Residential Area (GRA) where the estate will be located.
CMB’s development drive towards the Apapa axis is coming on the heels of the directive by the Senate to the Federal Ministry of Works and the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, to immediately begin the process of removing structures on rights of way (motor ways) and other locations impeding smooth traffic flow across the country. The senate insisted that the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government immediately resumes the rehabilitation of the roads leading to the nation’s main ports in the Apapa area, with a view to tackling the gridlock menace there. This obviously has given a necessary filing to the improvement of the Apapa situation as all through 2016 the gridlock has been a thing of the past. The journey to Apapa is suddenly free and easy. With this underway, confidence has been renewed in the potential for new development and the market appetite for housing in the Apapa axis.
Mbagwu said the decision to spread its business to the Apapa corridor is largely based on the company’s drive to be a forerunner in reducing the nation’s current housing deficit. He urged developers across the country to embrace this mandate of private sector participation.
