Project Manager Interswitch, Mr. Olufisayo Kolawole; GMD Kedari Capital,Mrs. Ife Fashola; Mr. Saheed Lawal and Family Draw1 winner of 1 plot of Land at Imperial City, Ikate Elegushi and Femi Akioye from Channeldrill Resources.
Fortune smiled on Mr. Saheed Lawal, a house painter in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, last week, when he was handed his prize winning- a plot of land valued at N42 million in the Imperial International Business City (IIBC), an exclusive island off the headband of Lekki phase 1, in Ikate Elegushi, Ajah, Eti osa Local Government Area of Lagos state.
Lawal, who had bought a N500 lotto ticket to participate in the on going Imperial City Promo, being promoted by Channeldrill Resources Limited, a Nigerian based infrastructure and city developer, and its partner in the IIBC project, the Elegushi Royal Family of the ancient City of Ikate Elegushi of Elegushi Kingdom Lagos, emerged as the winner in the first of the seven raffle draws last week. The draw ends by December 31.
Other prizes won during the first draw includes two persons with N1 million each; four people won N500, 000; 10 people also won N100, 000 each while 20 others won a consolation prize of N50, 000 each. Winners have also emerged in the second draw held during the presentation of the Lawal. They will be presented to the public this today.
Receiving Lawal in his palace, the Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, felicitated with the winner and his family, admonishing them to make the best use of the rear opportunity to own a property in such an exclusive area. The royal father also urged the family to be grateful to God always and remain steadfast in God, because He will certainly perfect the good work he has begun in their lives.
“When we embarked on this promo, our prayer was that people like Saheed should win, because we know such would empower them and change their life story,” the Elegushi said.
In similar vein, the managing director, ChannelDrill, Mr. Femi Akioye, said the status of the very first winner in the draw remains the focus of his firm because these are the real people in dire need of shelter. Akioye said for him personally and his company as a body, there is a huge fulfilment, because “this will help us touch lives of the poor in the society; it is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility which the Elegushi family and out firm have been used to doing over the years.”
An overwhelmed Lawal, could not hold back his tears when interviewed by The Nation. “There is nothing I can say than to thank God; I cannot believe this is happening to me,” he said amid tears. He however explained that he would sell off the land and use the process to establish a business, including setting aside certain amount as endowment for his children’s education.
The IIBC is a $300 million Eco-friendly Smart city being targeted as the benchmark for high quality urban developmental projects in Africa and at the same time preserving the historic landmark of the ancient city of Ikate Elegushi. This estimated five year joint venture project between Channeldrill Resources limited and Elegushi Royal Family (ERF) will be dredged off the Lagos Lagoon.
Indeed, the Lekki Peninsular is regarded as the fastest growing development area in Africa, sited on over 60,000 hectares of land excluding the areas allocated for a Free Trade Zone, International Airport and Sea Port .The updated land-use master plan for Lekki will provide a total built-up area of about 10,380 hectares; can accommodate a residential population of about 3.4 Million persons; and non-residential population, such as tourists, hotels, commercial, offices, medical (hospitals and clinics) and industrial, of about 1.9 million persons.
The aim of the project (IIBC) is to create a model for self sustainable smart business Eco-city Scale development in Africa as intended by His Royal Majesty Oba Elegushi and anticipated to become a popular tourist attraction in a few years to come. IIBC will boast of world class infrastructures and novel innovations incorporating the work, live and play theme thereby creating a perfect balance through combining the ideal mix of a residential, cultural, business and recreational environment. IIBC will be zoned into Residential Area, Commercial and Residential Area, Business District, Leisure and Entertainment, Green Park and healthcare district.
By Marc Philips
