Chapters
Port Harcourt
Oil and gas · Creeks and mangroves on the Bonny River
Play Port HarcourtEra IV · Naija Now
The five ages
- 1
Crisis
2023 · town-centre level 1The fuel subsidy is gone and the naira floats. Soot from illegal refining has darkened the sky since 2016, pipelines are tapped in the creeks, and the young are leaving. Start from the basics: homes, markets, power and order.
- 2
Recovery
2024–2027 · town-centre level 4Clean the air, guard the pipelines and give the creeks real work: modular refineries, fish farms and the port at Onne.
- 3
Boom
2027–2032 · town-centre level 7Gas powers the city and its factories, gas ships leave Bonny for the world, and the Garden City grows green again.
- 4
Energy capital
2032–2040 · town-centre level 10Towers rise along the Bonny River, and the city sells clean power to the whole coast.
- 5
World stage
2040s · town-centre level 13Summits, a seat at the table and rockets on the pad. The Garden City’s economy outgrows whole countries.
People of Port Harcourt
The figures who appear as the city grows, run by the Governor.
The Governor
That is youFour years to turn the city around, then the voters decide.
The fishermen of the creeks
The Delta’s first economyThey know every channel, and every spill hits them first.
Portrait: fictional depiction
The Mile 1 traders
The city’s marketTheir associations can make or break a policy in a week.
Portrait: fictional depictionYour hero in battle
Helicopter gunship
Air coverFlies over walls straight to the fight. Ability: Air cover. Every unit nearby fights harder: +35% damage for 12 seconds.
The council
| Seat | Who they are | Speaks for |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner for Finance | The treasury and the economy | people, trade and the treasury |
| Commissioner of Police | Security | the police, the army and Peace |
| Adviser on religious affairs | Churches and mosques | Faith and faith balance |
| Commissioner for Education | Schools and universities | Progress and research |
| Commissioner for Commerce | Markets and investors | Wealth and Unity |
| Commissioner for Health | Hospitals | Health |
| Commissioner for Energy | Power and fuel | the grid |
| The House of Assembly | Lawmakers | impeachment, and whether you keep office |
Raiders and bosses
Who comes for the city in each age. Bosses come once you are into their age. How raids work.
| Age | Raiders | Boss |
|---|---|---|
| First Crisis | Armed robbers | None |
| Second Recovery | Area boys’ gangs | None |
| Third Boom | Kidnap gangs | Pirates from the creeks A raid from the water |
| Fourth Energy capital | Militants | None |
| Fifth World stage | Armed militia | A border incursion Unnamed troops cross the border |
Soldiers
| Soldier | From level | |
|---|---|---|
| Police officer | Riot police with shields and batons. | 2 |
| Soldier | Infantry with rifles. | 3 |
| Armoured car | Hard to stop and slow to fall. | 7 |
| Marksman | One heavy shot from far away. | 10 |
Buildings
Every building Port Harcourt can raise, shown as it looks in the middle of the story. What each type does.
People
Housing estate
Unlocks at town-centre level 1From face-me-I-face-you blocks to towers. Houses your people.
Hospital
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Raises Health, and healthy workers produce more. Raiders never touch it.
High Court
Unlocks at town-centre level 5Raises Trust and some Peace. Low Trust lets officials skim taxes.
Economy
Agro farm
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Mechanised farming and food processing. Tap it when it fills.
Cement works
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Cement for every building site in the city. Materials.
Steel works
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Iron rods and steel frames. Materials.
Cold store
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Refrigerated food storage. Raises your Food storage.
Warehouse
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Containers and building stock. Raises your Materials storage.
Bank
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Raises how much Wealth you can keep.
Market
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Umbrella stalls that grow into malls. Wealth, plus a little Unity.
Power station
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Gas turbines, then solar fields. Every building draws power; when supply runs short, generators come on and output, Health and Unity suffer.
Port
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Ships and barges on the Bonny River, as since the first coal shipments. A large Wealth producer. Must touch the water.
Culture
Church
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Raises Faith. Keep churches and mosques in balance: if one far outnumbers the other, Unity falls. Raiders never touch it.
Mosque
Unlocks at town-centre level 1Raises Faith. Keep mosques and churches in balance: if one far outnumbers the other, Unity falls. Raiders never touch it.
University
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Lecture halls that grow into a tech campus. Makes Knowledge and runs research. Raiders never touch it.
Stadium
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Match days and concerts. Raises Unity. A big enough stadium can host the Africa Cup of Nations.
Air base
Unlocks at town-centre level 7A helipad and hangar. Brings the helicopter gunship to your forces.
The old railway station
Unlocks at town-centre level 8The city was founded in 1912 at the end of the Eastern Line, built to carry Enugu’s coal to the sea. Heritage for the ladder.
Defence
Police station
Unlocks at town-centre level 3Raises Peace and keeps robbers off the streets.
Security post
Unlocks at town-centre level 2A floodlit post behind sandbags that fires on attackers.
Security wall
Unlocks at town-centre level 4Concrete walls with razor wire and cameras, section by section.
Checkpoint
Unlocks at town-centre level 4A manned barrier where an avenue crosses the security wall.
Armoured unit
Unlocks at town-centre level 10Armoured vehicles behind sandbags. Hits hard, reloads slowly.
Space centre
Unlocks at town-centre level 13Level 1 launches a satellite, level 3 flies an astronaut, level 5 lands on the Moon.
Army
Army barracks
Unlocks at town-centre level 2Each level holds more soldiers.
Industrial park
Unlocks at town-centre level 5Factories and workshops. Raises Progress.
Landmarks
Isaac Boro Park
Unlocks at town-centre level 4A green park in the Garden City, named after the Ijaw leader Isaac Adaka Boro. Unity, Health and visitors.
Port Harcourt Pleasure Park
Unlocks at town-centre level 6Opened in May 2017: a lake with pedal boats, a climbing tower, mini golf and a cinema. Unity and visitors.
Bonny LNG
Unlocks at town-centre level 11Gas trains, storage tanks and a jetty for gas ships. Nigeria LNG’s first cargo left Bonny Island on 9 October 1999. Wealth and Progress. Must touch the water.
Port Harcourt Tourist Beach
Unlocks at town-centre level 7Sand, music, suya and fish by the water. Unity, Health and visitors. Must touch the water.
Delta Sky Needle
Unlocks at town-centre level 13A future project: a kilometre-tall tower with a glowing observation ring, taller than anything on Earth today. The world comes to look.
Creek Arcology
Unlocks at town-centre level 14A future project: a stepped city in a single building, with farms, schools and homes for 100,000 people on its terraces.
Solar Crown
Unlocks at town-centre level 15A future project: a ring of solar parks and gardens held high above the city on white pillars. Clean power for the Delta.
Research
| Technology | Branch | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Improved seed | Farming | Better seed and fertiliser: +10% Food. |
| Cold chains | Farming | Less food spoils on the way: +15% Food storage. |
| Irrigation | Farming | Year-round farming: +15% Food. |
| Agro-processing | Farming | More value from every harvest: +20% Food. |
| Building codes | Building | Fewer collapses, faster approvals: builds 8% faster. |
| Steel frames | Building | Taller and stronger: buildings +10% sturdier. |
| Local cement | Building | Cheaper materials: builds cost 8% less. |
| Prefab towers | Building | Factory-built floors: builds 10% faster. |
| Police training | Defence | Better trained officers: +8% damage. |
| CCTV network | Defence | Cameras on every post: posts +12% damage. |
| Body armour | Defence | Better protection: +12% unit health. |
| Drones | Defence | Eyes in the sky: +12% damage. |
| Instant payments | Trade | Transfers in seconds: +10% Wealth. |
| Ease of business | Trade | Fewer forms and fees: +12% Wealth. |
| Free trade zone | Trade | Investors and exporters move in: +20% Wealth. |
| Teacher training | Learning | Better teachers: +15% Knowledge. |
| Tech hubs | Learning | Coders and start-ups: research 15% faster. |
| Research labs | Learning | Universities that invent: +20% Knowledge. |
| Festival calendar | Heritage | Concerts, carnivals and festivals: Faith and Unity rise. |
| Nollywood studios | Heritage | Films for the whole continent: Heritage. |
| Afrobeats on the world stage | Heritage | The city’s sound goes global: Heritage. |
| Fintech signature | Heritage | Signature tech. Money moves by phone: Knowledge and Progress. |
| Urban rail signature | Defence | Signature tech. Trains link the districts: walls and posts 25% stronger. |
Did you know?
- Port Harcourt was founded in 1912 and named in August 1913 after Lewis Harcourt, Britain’s Colonial Secretary.
- It was built to export coal found at Enugu in 1909, 243 km up the Eastern Line railway.
- Oil was found at Oloibiri in 1956, and Nigeria’s first shipload of crude left Port Harcourt in 1958.
- The two refineries at Eleme can process about 210,000 barrels of crude a day.
- Nigeria LNG’s first cargo left Bonny Island for France on 9 October 1999.
- By December 2007 Bonny had six LNG trains, rated at about 22 million tonnes a year.
- Black soot from illegal refining has fallen on the city since late 2016; residents protested in February 2017.
- Its nickname is the Garden City.
- The fuel subsidy ended on 29 May 2023, and pump prices more than doubled.
- On 14 June 2023 the naira was floated; it fell from about ₦461 to about ₦770 to the dollar.
- Headline inflation peaked at 34.80% in December 2024; food inflation hit 40.87% in June 2024.
- Nigeria signed the Artemis Accords on 13 December 2022, one of the first two African countries to do so.
- The national motto is “Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress”.