Ben Murray-Bruce, founder of the Silverbird Group, has absolved his organisation of any responsibility in the large-scale demolitions in Njemanze and Abonnema Wharf, both waterfront properties in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The United Nations Agency for human settlements, UN-HABITAT, had issued a statement to the effect that the demolitions were “motivated by the Silverbird Showtime project, with several commercial developments.” The agency also estimates that about 45,000 people will be affected by the demolitions, which began in February 10, 2009, despite court rulings asking for a halt in the process to allow for proper deliberation.
Speaking in a telephone interview with NEXT, on Thursday, Mr. Murray-Bruce said, “I don’t have any comments on that. That is a strictly government affair. I don’t have any comment to make on the demolition. I am not involved in that, I think it’s the commissioner for Urban development.” The Silverbird Showtime project, besides the cinema, would reportedly include an international conference center, a shopping mall, high-rise hotel and a helipad. In addition, a leisure park and children’s theme park are to be developed.
About the MOU
The implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on January 24, 2008 between the Silverbird Group and the Rivers State government has drawn mixed feelings from civil rights groups and residents of the communities.
C.W. Enwefah, the secretary-general of the National Union of Tenants of Nigeria took issue with what he called a “vague” part of the MOU that claimed there would be “ ‘an urban renewal programme within a radius of 2 km of the project site.’ “The MOU reads that Bruce and some undisclosed partners will receive 80 percent of the gains of the Silverbird project, while the state government that is now displacing thousands of residents will take just 20% and this is to last for 99 years. It’s never for the purpose of urban renewal,” he said.
Apart from Njemanze and Abonnema Wharf, “Akiziwe, Iloabuchi and Ojoto streets, Isaac Boro Park, Education Bus Stop have to disappear,” according to the UN-HABITAT report “because they are within the area required for expansion of existing roads to provide access to the Silverbird project site, while buildings in Isaac Boro Park and Education Bus Stop will have to make way for the children theme park.”
Corroborating a portion of the MOU which states that the Rivers State government would “provide basic services such as necessary access roads and safe neighbourhood buffer zone,” Johnson Falade, Habitat Programme Manager, Nigeria for UN-HABITAT, told NEXT in a recent interview that; “We gathered from other sources that some of these demolitions were coming as a result of this partnership and that they would not want to see those ramshackle structures that are around those waterfront areas.” Datubo West, a resident, is upset at the government for demolishing “a cultural icon like the Obi Wali Cultural Centre”, on which the Silverbird Showtime Cinema has since been built.
In Silverbird’s defence, the entertainment chain asked the Rivers State government to deliver the property to Silverbird “absolutely free of all encumbrances and ensure that potential issues of absentee landlords are identified and eliminated (...) and ensure that all impediments on the property that may hinder the execution of the project are eliminated”.
The organisation had also given the government a caveat to “ensure the peaceful evacuation and relocation of present occupants (...). The means of relocation shall be such as is legally acceptable and accords with due process with a view to avoiding impinging on the reputation of Silverbird in future”.
However, when NEXT tried to remind Mr. Murray-Bruce of these points, he was quite blunt; “Look, I need an environment to do business. It is government’s responsibility to create the enabling environment for us to do any kind of business in that area, so it’s the government responsibility... So really, they have to respond to the issues, not me.”
Still, civil rights groups such as Amnesty International and UN-HABITAT have reiterated calls for genuine inclusion and relocation of residents being affected by the demolitions. The UN-HABITAT’s report, titled “Evictions and Demolitions in Port Harcourt: Report of Fact-Finding Mission to Port-Harcourt City, Federal Republic Of Nigeria 12-16 March 2009” has gone further to pick holes in the Silverbird-Rivers State government MOU.
“It is worth noting that the public private partnership arrangement between the Silverbird Group Ltd. and the RSG is based on private-sector business practices,” page 50 of the report stated.
“Silverbird’s contribution to the equity shareholding is 80 per cent, or NGN 16 billion (USD 110 million) for the construction; RSG contributes 20 per cent in the form of the required land property and a payment of NGN 200 million (USD 1.38 million) to Silverbird as contribution to the building and operation of [a] children’s theme park.” The report also revealed that; ‘The parties agreed that Silverbird is entitled to defray all its costs and expenses related to the construction of the Project from the (generated) income (...) after which profits will be shared in the proportion of its equity shareholding (...).’
But in spite of formidable opposition, the demolitions continue, and critics are certain that out of the debris of the lives, homes and sweat of thousands, will rise yet another outpost of an already successful business empire.
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