By Stellamaris Ashinze
Bridgeways Global Projects Ltd. says the recent Lagos State High Court judgment affirming its rights in the proposed Katangowa ICT Business Park project has revived the long-delayed relocation of Computer Village from Ikeja.
The Managing Director of Bridgeways Global Projects Ltd., Mr Jimmy Onyemenam, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
NAN recalls that the Lagos State Government announced plans in 2017 to relocate computer village, one of West Africa’s largest ICT markets, from Ikeja to Katangowa in the Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area.
However, nearly a decade later, the relocation has yet to materialise.
In 2024, the Lagos State Government maintained that it had terminated its contract with Bridgeways Global Projects Ltd., the project consultant for the proposed Katangowa ICT Business Park.
But the company challenged the termination process in court in Suit No. ID/7902GCM/2024: Bridgeways Global Projects Ltd. v. Lagos State Government & Ors.
Reacting to the judgment, the managing director described it as a major milestone in the dispute over the project.
He said the judgment reaffirmed the company’s contractual and proprietary interests and invalidated attempts to terminate the concession agreement outside the agreed dispute resolution process.
He alleged that some government officials and a few individuals within the computer village community had sought to frustrate the project and misrepresented the facts surrounding it.
According to him, the matter will now proceed to mediation to determine financial obligations, compensation, and the restoration of entitlements arising from the project.
He expressed confidence that the judgment would facilitate the resolution of outstanding issues while protecting the interests of investors and other genuine stakeholders.
Onyemenam reaffirmed the company’s commitment to a transparent and fair process that would benefit computer village traders and the residents of Lagos State.
A recent NAN visit to the proposed ICT park showed the site overgrown with weeds and litter, with no significant structures apart from the facilities earlier put in place by Bridgeways Global Projects Ltd.NAN)