Lagos State’s plan to relocate Computer Village may not materialize in the short or medium term as development of the proposed new site has stalled.
The relocation initially announced in 2017 has yet to take place and the new plan for 2024 is not expected to change the current situation. The government plans to relocate the market from its current residential area in Ikeja to ICT Village, Katangowa, Abule Egba.
“The Computer Village site is, was, and will by law continue to be a residential area and therefore must comply with the law. Katangowa is an area designated by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, particularly the Physical Planning Department,” Olajide Babatunde, Special Adviser to the Governor on Electronic Geographic Information Systems and Urban Development, said in February 2024.
The special adviser said there had been some difficulties with the original relocation plan which were now being addressed. But when Journalists visited the proposed site in early 2024 it was found to be a wasteland with little to no development.
“The government was on the ground last week to inspect a few things. They need to build a computer village now. We are waiting,” a trader said.
Another trader, Frank Charles, commented: “Bringing Computer Village here will bring advancement. People will also see our store and it will bring in more customers. But the government keeps proposing without action.”
Currently, a manned urban planning office has been set up on the site. One source claimed the project would go ahead this year. “The government is serious. People will come back here on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to see how the development is going,” the official said.
“There are proposed locations for the gates, plans for car parking, and plans for the business area. Ikeja is congested as you can see. No planning, nothing, it was also designed as a residential area, not a market.”
The Commissioner for Science, Innovation, and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, stressed that the new site is not yet ready. “You need facilities and infrastructure to move into the market, but be rest assured that it will not be a sudden move once the site is ready as we will give you timely notice,” he explained.
Phone and Allied Product Dealers Association of Nigeria, Ifeanyi Akubue, told Journalists: “We have not been informed about anything, but the government has told us that Computer Village must be relocated to Katangowa. We are waiting to know how they are going to do it.”
In 2021, Bridgeways Global Projects Limited, the contractor responsible for the new Computer Village, announced that the first phase of the new ICT market would be completed in 24 months.
In 2024, Olajide Babatunde, quoted earlier, announced that Lagos had terminated its contract with Bridgeways Limited.
Babatunde stated, “The contract with Bridgeways Global Projects Limited, the consultant for the Kantagowa Market project, was terminated more than two years ago due to the contractor’s failure to perform the contract.”
Computer Village is Nigeria’s main phone hub. According to former Minister of Information and Communications Technology Omobola Johnson, Nigeria contributes about 300 billion naira annually to the economy. The Computer Village, located in the heart of the city, is home to about 3,000 small and medium-sized IT companies. According to a report by Stears Business, about 1.5 billion naira is traded daily, which explains the state’s interest in relocating the market to a wider area.
Traders in the proposed site are enthusiastic, but many are not as optimistic.
“I don’t like that idea. This shop has been around for a long time so I am used to the system. I came here in 2010 and have built a customer base here. A lot of people know my shop so I need to build a new customer base. Shipping costs for these items increase as the distance increases,” said Kalu Uche, a dealer at Computer Village.
Some traders believe that the measure will weed out fraudulent players who cannot find a place in the new market. Structured businesses such as SLOT, FINET, and 3C HUB did not respond to Journalists’ requests for comment.
Alake, quoted earlier, said the government has a long-term vision for the new computer village, focusing on backward integration and actual manufacturing. “The aim is to build an ecosystem that supports parts, manpower, and infrastructure for backward integration,” he said.
Speaking to Journalists on the sidelines of the recently concluded Africa Technology Expo 2024, Alake said the country is also seeking collaboration with the Federal Government. “I spoke to Minister Bosun a while ago. I have proposed this backward integration but the actual structure needs to be finalized.” The Commissioner stressed that the move is not within the purview of his ministry but that of the Ministry of Physical Planning. He however noted that the relocation plan currently involves multiple ministries working together on a holistic approach.
According to Akubue, quoted earlier, the current traders were at one time optimistic about the move. “This project has been going on for a while. There was a time when traders were happy to relocate but government incompetence has dampened their enthusiasm,” he added.
