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Port Harcourt’s skyline is set for transformation with the unveiling of PH-AirportCity, a new mini-city near the Port Harcourt International Airport designed to attract high-net-worth executives back to the Garden City.
The development, launched amid fanfare at the Hotel Presidential, is a joint venture between the Rivers State Government, through the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority (GPHCDA), and Masta Services Company Limited, led by veteran builder Ugo Ohuabunwa, who boasts over 40 years of experience in design, construction and engineering.
Developed under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Masta-Rivers Development Company Limited, ownership is split 70 percent to Masta Services and 30 percent to the GPHCDA. The project’s first phase will deliver 2,000 housing units, forming part of a broader plan to expand Port Harcourt into a modern, connected urban hub.
“This is Port Harcourt’s next great leap, a city within a city. “PH-AirportCity will merge luxury living with modern infrastructure and investment opportunities. It’s a new dawn for Rivers State”, said Ade Adeoshun, the project’s consultant for brands and marketing.
Occupying 80 hectares within the Greater Port Harcourt City area, the development is envisioned as Nigeria’s first aerotropolis, a modern city built around an airport as the central economic hub.
Explaining the idea, Ohuabunwa said, “We want to create a mini city in the main city for the highest class. This will free up space for the middle class. The new city is deliberately located close to the airport and will become the first aerotropolis, where the airport drives commercial, residential, and entertainment growth.”
He noted that insecurity wasn’t the only reason people left Port Harcourt. “People fled because there were no world-class residential homes for top executives. Those who work hard deserve a decent, safe place to live,” he said.
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Ohuabunwa added that affordability remains central to the project’s concept. “Luxury is affordable,” he insisted.
“We secured land directly from the government, mortgage access from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), and additional funding from Stanbic IBTC Mortgage.”
Housing options will range from one- to five-bedroom homes, with features including CCTV surveillance, malls, gas-to-power systems, fibre optics, storm drainage, a central sewage system and four fire stations. Prices are expected to start from around N32 million, and uniquely, buyers’ funds are not required upfront to commence construction.
The Port Harcourt Branch Manager of the FMBN, Melody Ukwa, affirmed the bank’s support for the scheme. “We offer Rent-to-Own, Renovation, Individual Construction and Diaspora schemes, all repayable over up to 30 years,” she explained.
Bennett Chu, Administrator of the GPHCDA, described the partnership as “a strategic step to create large-scale housing while ensuring transparency and quality.”
“The government is both a regulator and a partner,” Chu said. “We carefully vetted every component of the SPV to guarantee the best outcome for investors and buyers.”
