19th May, 2024
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp) as the Lead Arranger and Developer of Evergreen City, Nigeria’s green industrial zone.
This is contained in a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale on Sunday.
Ngelale said the terms of reference of InfraCorp included selection of partners/consultants to undertake critical development activities, including project design, environmental impact assessments, feasibility studies, financial modelling, and market engagement; raising private funding for the development of the city and constituent projects.
Others are coordinating with partners, development institutions, and other providers of capital and technical assistance and reporting to the Supervisory Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen.
Dr. Lazarus Angbazo, CEO of InfraCorp, holds a first-class Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics; a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Iowa, and a Doctorate degree in Corporate Finance from the New York University.
He was President and Chief Executive Officer of General Electric in Nigeria, where he doubled GE’s revenue. He was also the CEO of General Electric Grid Solutions Africa and led GE’s regional operations between 2008 and 2012 as President and CEO, West, East & Central Africa.
Furthermore, Ngelale said the President has approved the establishment of the Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen, the supervisory technical working group, to oversee the pioneering endeavour.
He said the Presidential Steering Committee is composed of the following members:
(1) Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action – Chairman
(2) Lolade Abiola (UN SE4ALL) – Secretary
(3) Lazarus Angbazo (CEO, InfraCorp) – Member
(4) Salisu Dahiru (CEO, NCCC) – Member
(5) Aminu Umar-Sadiq (CEO, NSIA) – Member
(6) Khalil Halilu (CEO, NASENI) – Member
(7) Abba Abubabkar Aliyu (CEO, REA) – Member
(8) Fatima Shinkafi (CEO, SMDF) – Member
(9) Uzoma Nwagba (CEO, CrediCorp) – Member
(10) Bala Bello (Deputy Governor, CBN) – Member
(11) Teni Majekodunmi (NCCC) – Member
(12) Nana Maidugu (NSIA) – Member
(13) Michael Ivenso (NCCC) – Member
(14) Suleiman Yusuf (Blue Camel Energy) – Member
(15) Chidi Ajaere (Jet EV) – Member
According to Ngelale, the President expected absolute dedication and professionalism to drive this critical project with the clear objective of making Nigeria the leading manufacturing hub in Africa for renewable energy technologies, green solutions, and climate-adaptation technologies for the maximum benefit of Nigerians and Africans at large.