Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Naval Officers Wives Association, NOWA, in partnership with Riquest Oil & Gas Limited, have commenced the construction of an international shopping mall in Borokiri, Port Harcourt City, the capital of oil rich Rivers State.
The shopping mall which will be financed by the indigenous oil firm, Riquest Oil & Gas Limited, according to the National President of NOWA, Mrs. Nana Gambo, when completed will create opportunity for both local and international businesses to thrive in the state.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the project in Port Harcourt, Mrs Gambo, said the initiative to establish the mall was driven by the need to bequeath the present and unborn generations with a sustainable quality enterprise by NOWA, while contributing to national development.
The NOWA boss who was flanked by her husband, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, said recalled how the assocoation has transformed over the years from a small group to an internationally recognized humanitarian organization, impacting on so many lives.
“It is worthy to state that, currently the Naval Officers’ Wives Association contributes considerably to the socio-economic life and well-being of Nigerians by providing quality education, vocational training, charitable activities and empowerment programmes for women, orphans and youths amongst others.
“The availability of quality human capacity through enhanced welfare packages remains a critical imperative for NOWA. This is borne out of the need for personnel of the Navy to be empowered in order for them to appropriately discharge the assigned constitutional mandate of the Navy.”
Giving a breakdown of the project, the NOWA boss said shopping mall which will sit on 3.675 hectares of land, will have a specification of 1,000 lockup shops, 16 warehouses, a clinic, an abattoir and a jetty, would be completed in 18 months.
“The land on which the Shopping Mall would be built consists of 3.675 hectares about 36,750 square meters. The mall has a network of commercial and retail shops and offices, open market stalls type A for perishable products consisting of 168 units of single unit shops and type B for live animals consisting of three-unit shops, abattoirs, banking halls, warehouses, canteens consisting three of unit shops, administrative offices, clinic, fire services, cold room facilities for storage of perishables, among other facilities.
“The shopping center will also create opportunity for both local and international businesses to thrive among others. The market will also have a jetty to avail the riverine communities access to the market, there are about 16 communities having water bodies connected to the jetty.”
Also speaking, the special guest of honour and former NOWA National President, Mrs Margaret Koshoni, said the project underscores the determination of NOWA leadership to consolidate on infrastructural and capacity development.
Koshoni commended the consistency and outstanding effort of the NOWA National President and its members towards enhancing the economic disposition of its members.
For his part, the financier of the project and Chief Executive Officer of Riquest Oil and Gas Limited, Chinedu Okonkwo, said the need to finance the project was borne out of the need to increase value and improving standard of the existing market.
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