By Maduka Nweke
A real estate firm, Delta Mega Trend Nigeria Ltd has fulfilled its dream to change the negative impression that real estate investment cannot thrive in the oil city of Warri. This fulfillment came with the development of the Plantation City on a 1,700 hectares of land with only 120 hectares already completed.
Speaking to the press on the development of the estate, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Delta Mega Trend Nigeria Limited, Mr. Sam Ogrih, said, the estate which is already 40 per cent developed is aimed at giving accommodation to over 8,000 residents in Warri, Delta State.
According to Ogrih, the Plantation City at Otokutu Delta Steel Company Expressway, is a perfect demonstration that Nigeria can grow its economic potentials through the real estate because of its multiplier effects that come with construction industry as seen in places like Lagos, Abuja and even Dubai.
Ogrih attributed the doggedness of some real estate investors and developers like Delta Mega Trend and others as the stroke that changed the real estate narratives in Warri and its environs.
He said that prior to this, the oil city was a ‘no go area’ for real estate investors due to security challenges and lack of interests by banks to support such ventures, making Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt as choice locations for prime real estate developments.
According to the expert, the city is a perfect demonstration that Nigeria can grow its economic potentials through the real estate because of its multiplier effects that come with construction industry as seen in places like Dubai. He went further to say that people normally run away from real estate thinking that it is capital intensive but they fail to understand that you don’t need so much money to start. “What you need is integrity and trust with little cash to start it up. You don’t need to be every where at once, rather, start somewhere and make your mark for people to notice you positively. For us here, we have every building material for use so clients have the opportunity and advantage of not labouring to bring in materials from outside. So all materials are provided for developers within the city.
We have our own Independent Power Plan (IPP). So there is light 24 hours seven days a week. There is 500 KVA Transformer for everybody with prepared meters. There is no need for one to look for water since there is one central water that supplies water to all. There is central sewage to avoid littering of bad water everywhere in the estate. We made provisions for everything so that the estate will remain clean all the time. In order to avoid people suffering so much, we intend to introduce internal transport system like shuttle buses to take people inside the estates. The estate is demarcated into two. One side is the side that has already a template of the kind of building one must comply with. The template is already prescribed and all has a fence of 3 kilometers.
At present, the city is providing over 650 employments daily to artisans, plumbers, bricklayers and electrician, thereby reducing the unemployment among the youths. It is strategically located on a large expanse of land, a natural and serene environment where children are free to play in a safe, secured enclosed community, ride their bicycles, where parents and residents also stroll around an extremely beautiful, peaceful, fully landscaped, green, clean, and brightly lit environment. The city, which started in 2009 boasts of exclusive two bedroom and three bedroom bungalows, semi-detached duplexes, exquisite self-express duplex, a police station and 24-hour uninterrupted power supply and lettable areas with 40 per cent occupancy rate.
The developer who is a graduate of Havard School of design, smart and Intelligence housing, made space management an integral part of the building design, utilising several development concepts,and making infrastructure key to housing construction.
According to the developer, the success story of Plantation city has spurred the beginning of South Brook Gardens, another real estate development near Airport road in Warri, with a natural environment setting and design. The estate uses smart technology and runs on independent power of 1.5 megawatts, drainage system and central water supply.
Speaking on the development, Ogrih said the city was mooted by his determination to change the real estate landscape in Delta state. One of the subscribers, Mr. Emmanuel Shegbaye, who applauded the vision behind the project, advised the management to work with subscribers to ensure sustainability of the estate. According to him, the subscribers, should not be seen as bystanders but as owners in the management of the city.