Look for alternative location for Apple Island devt, COAS orders NAPL
By The rumblings that erupted yesterday over the proposed development of Apple Island by the Nigerian Army Properties Limited (NAPL)was laid to rest Saturday morning following the visit of Tukur Brutai, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who ordered NAPL to look for an alternative location for the development.
The proposed Apple Island was to be developed adjacent to the highbrow Banana Island on land to be reclaimed from the Lagos Lagoon, a development the residents of the exclusive neighbourhood resisted stoutly, citing access issues which, if allowed would affect not just the exclusivity of the estate, but also the privacy of the individual residents.
Banana Island is an exclusive locations where those who are out of the ordinary economically and socially have nestled their homes which are defined by sophistication, taste, class and luxury living.
It is an enclave with a large clan of the nuveau-riche. It is, arguably, the most expensive real estate address in Nigeria today with its rich and complex architecture of luxury homes coupled with mouth-watering land and house prices.
This curved island that has the shape of a real banana is presently the most sought after location in Lagos. Land values here have gone up by almost 50 percent in the last couple of years to N370 million for 1,000 square metres of land, up from N260 million the same size of land sold for early 2014. This is also an island where a three-bedroom apartment typically sells for well over N150 million and over N500 million for a five-bedroom house.
People in this neighbourhood value their privacy, exclusivity and leisure which is why, besides the issue of access, the residents were also angry that the site of the proposed Apple Island was the same area they, the residents, have planned to build jetties, boat club and other recreational facilities.
“This island would lose its ‘virginity and sanctity’ if we allow this kind of development to happen here. We pay so much to live here and to throw this place open by giving access to this development means we have lost the values and exclusive nature of the estate which we paid for ”, said a resident who spoke to BusinessDay, pleading anonymity.
Some over-zealous junior army officers had, Friday afternoon, come to the proposed construction site, demolished the signboard indicating intention to build the above facilities by the residents, and mounted their own signboard which displayed the name of proposed development, the developer and the two main contractors—Julius Berger and Van Oord.
When BusinessDay visited the controversial site on Saturday, it was discovered that the angry residents were prepared for a showdown with the army developers over what they considered an invasion into their exclusive estate without any prior discussion with them.
“You can’t come here to do a development of this magnitude without letting us know. We are not saying you should not do your development but access to that development is going to be a problem”, Chudi Ubosi, the chairman of the Banana Island Residents Association, told Brutai.
The army chief who seemed embarrassed for not being properly briefed on the proposed development, assured the residents that he was not at the estate to flag off any project because, according to him, they were still at prospecting stage contrary to NAPL’s posturing and claims.
CHUKA UROKO
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