By Ikenna Nwokedi 

The contractor and project manager that midwifed the construction of the newly completed gigantic 504 bed University Hostel christened the Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Female Hostel by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of UNIZIK, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi has described the project as a world class hostel and residencial student facility that will stand the test of time.

Arc. Chief Larry Koinyan, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Bridge Engineering Construction Company Ltd, stated this during an exclusive interview session with reporters on Thursday, 31st July, 2025, at the site of the building in the aftermath of the handing over of the keys of the building project to UNIZIK Acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Carol Arinze-Umobi.

Arch. Koinyan disclosed that the Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Female Hostel is designed to comfortably accommodate 500 students with amenities such as six reading rooms, six large kitchens and two separate but dedicated lounge areas for students conviviality. 

The contractor also revealed that the hostel has its own 200 capacity multipurpose hall that can serve for worship and theatrical presentations as well as dedicated fire fighting equipment, adequate security lighting in the surrounding premises, boreholes with 30,000 litres each of overhead and ground water tanks.

The MD of Atlantic Bridge Engineering Construction Company Ltd described the process leading to the completion of the project as an exciting experience although with challenges right from the sub-structure design due to the nature of the soil which required extra care but the challenges where navigated with professionalism, dedication and focus on delivering a timeless building that needed to stand the test of time without cracks and default.

Arch. Koinyan eulogized the professionals who he worked with made up of seasoned architects and engineers from the Physical Planning Unit of the University for aligning with the vision and aspiration of the project especially during the periods of design modifications purposely to adapt the project to conform with the University requirements now and in the future.

Arch. Koinyan said: "The hostel construction was quite an experience and we give God the glory. We had the challenges of the soil type which required care in sub-structural design and because am an architect and a professional, we had to work in conjunction with the Physical Planning Unit of the institution which were made up of seasoned architects and engineers who understood the vision and the goal to have a world class hostel facility in place.

"With the understanding in place, there was no issue of compromise on standands, even when we had to deploy the best value engineering techniques to mitigate the challenges of inflation and fluctuation rate as we weathered the storm and today we are happy to hand over to the University an edifice completed for the benefit of the students of this great institution," Arc. Koinyan stated.

Arc. Koinyan thanked the University for the opportunity to undertake the construction work, he also emphasized that his construction firm is always committed towards delivering quality construction services while hoping that the institution will look in their direction should there be need for professionals to build for them at any other time.