Love or hate Fashola but it does appear he is setting up competition between the states (or in this case the FG) for infrastructure and developmental drive as evidenced by the proposed Nigeria centenary city in the article below. I guess such healthy competition particularly if we can get masses-centred ones are needed for turning around the country.

Nigeria's centenary city to create 55,000 jobs
Nigeria’s centenary city, to be sited two kilometres from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will create 55,000 jobs, host 500,000 visitors daily and will have a residential population of 100,000.

The city, according to Anyim Pius Anyim, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), is conceived to focus attention of the investing world on Nigeria in a way that has never been done before.

“By the end of its planned five-year development cycle, this innovative and vibrant city would have created 50,000 construction jobs and 5000 permanent well-paying jobs. The city is planned to for a residential population of about 100,000 people but to host about 500,000 visitors daily,” said Anyim.

Anyim who was speaking at the presentation of the centenary project concept document yesterday in Lagos said the city shall promote world –class multinational and domestic businesses in a master planned environment that gives meaning to life, energy for work and pleasure for play, while permanently contributing to Nigeria’s economic growth, diversity and greatness into the next centenary.

The centenary city’s job creation effort ties up with the transformation agenda of the federal government. It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment announced about a year ago plans to create over three million jobs in three years.

The Federal Government set up the National Economic Management Team (NEMT) to tackle the tetra-headed problem of unemployment in the country. The committee was inaugurated by Olusegun Aganga, the Minister of Finance then, who was the chairman of the National Economic Management Team, with the very important task of helping to develop an action plan on job creation.

In tune with this government’s policy direction, departments, agencies and parastatals under the new Ministry of Trade and Investment pledged to create additional 3.1 jobs within three years. This revelation was one of the highpoints of the communiqué issued at the end of a three-day retreat of the ministry in Abuja. The retreat was chaired by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga; and the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Sam Ortom.

The centenary city is a new smart city to be built from scratch on more than 1000 hectares of virgin land along Abuja Airport Road, making it the largest “private city” development in history, after Songdo International Business District in South Korea. Songdo is built on 600 hectares land.

The private sector, which is to drive to project were robustly represented and a good number endorsed the project but some said government must show that it can be trusted. Some even made suggestions that the project should go along with provision of water for every village in Nigeria.

Mutiu Sunmonu, CEO Shell Nigeria welcome the project and said he would speak to his colleagues regarding support for it. Funke Opeke, CEO Main One pledged her support with ICT too. Bisi Onasanya, CEO of First Bank promised to sell the idea to his colleagues too but said the banks would ask questions about sustainability and measurability of the project.

According to Anyim, “The city will demonstrate the harmony between nature and the work of man to create a solid example for the future of urban development in Nigeria and indeed the world and also reinforce our collective destiny towards the next 100 years. The city, like Dubai, Monaco, Shenzhen and Songdo shall signpost the Nigeria of the future. It shall promote leisure, tourism, commercial hubs, sports and a 20 percent residential component”.

He said it is conceived as a centre for the preservation of Nigeria’s political history and documentation of her contributions to the political, cultural and economic development of Africa and the advancement of peace and security in the world, as well as the hub of economic activities in Africa.

Source-
http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/76-hot-topic/50257-nigerias-centenary-city-to-create-55000-jobs