CBN Holds Groundbreaking For Staff Solar City Estate In Enugu

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele have launched the CBN Cooperative Solar City Estate at the project site at Emene Industrial Layout, Enugu state.

The groundbreaking ceremony marks the commencement of the project which was packaged by the CBN Staff Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd in partnership with the developer, Messrs Geometrix Homes and Estate Ltd.

Represented by the Enugu Branch Controller of CBN, Chief Okonjo Chiedozie Emmanuel, Emefiele said the cooperative has the backing of the apex bank to undertake projects which would enhance the welfare of its serving and retired staff.

He assured that the cooperative, an independent body, would receive maximum support to make the project a success.

The CBN Solar City, Enugu is a contemporary and elegant estate situated in an emerging layout in the reserved residential section of Emene industrial District, occupying over 14 hectares of land.

The concept of the project concerns the realisation of a solar housing estate in Enugu and the solar planning aspects like the distance between the buildings, shading and orientation of the main facades and are included.

Speaking earlier, the president of the Cooperative Alhaji Isah Aminu Buhari said the cooperative society was set up to take care of the welfare of members of staff of CBN.

According to him, the CBN and the corporative work hand in hand especially in the area of staff welfare.

He assured that all basic facilities such as tarred roads, street lighting, water, and electricity will be provided.

He said on completion, the estate would have shared facilities like playground, park, club house, shopping mall, multi use block, crèche, security services, water reticulation system, maintenance facilities and waste disposal facilities.

On his own part, the Managing Director of Geometrix Homes and Estates Limited, the developer, Arc. Uche Uche highlighted some key selling points of the estate which include the use of solar energy to power the estate and the opportunity to own houses within the estate using the national housing funds loans for interested off-takers.

He said that the solar solutions to be deployed in the estate would be a high breed of both stand-alone and integrated mini-grid power architecture within the Estate.

He put the projected timeline for completion to be 12 months, with the sites and services to be completed within six months.

Represented by Enugu State commissioner for works, Gregory Nnaji, Ugwuanyi re-affirmed the Enugu State’s commitment to the success of the project.

He said that the Enugu State Government would also be open to any effort to develop the state and lauded the investment partnership between the cooperative and the developers.

He said that no bureaucratic hiccup would be allowed to stand in the way of successful completion and commissioning of the project.

The foundation stone laying and groundbreaking was jointly performed by Emmanuel and Nnaji and witnessed by members of the Executive Management Board of the Cooperative and other dignitaries.

Others present include representatives from Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, the NHF Custodian, FHA mortgages, Access Bank Plc, the project funders, Federal Ministry of Power, Work and Housing, Shell Cooperative, Zenith bank Plc, MTN and several other interested parties.