Saudi Arabia‘s £390billion mega-city faces fresh chaos as the boss of the flagship Neom project has reportedly been sacked.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr “abruptly left” his post at the helm of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s scheme, according to insiders cited by the Wall Street Journal.
The same publication reports the specific reason for Al-Nasr’s exit has not been made public, but it “amounts to a major reshuffling” at the top of Neom.
People familiar with the scheme have reportedly said executives from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, are taking over control of the project.
Public Investment Fund exec, Aiman al-Mudaifer, was named acting Chief Executive, according to an email sent on Tuesday (November 12) to employees by Neom’s board, the WSJ reported.
Neom aims to turn the barren desert into an ultra-modern city for a million people by 2030 and a tourist hotspot as oil-rich Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its economy.
Plans include The Line metropolis, which plans show would stretch for 106 miles through the desert, and a mountain ski resort.
Al-Nasr had been at Neom’s helm since 2018 and reportedly had an aggressive style of leadership. Before Neom, he was vice president of engineering services at the energy giant Saudi Aramco.
Former colleagues claimed Al-Nasr threatened to take a gun and shoot them while a WSJ report from 2022 said he was recorded in a meeting allegedly saying he drives “everybody like a slave”.
An undercover investigation by ITV revealed in October that the Neom project had claimed the lives of more than 20,000 workers.
Migrant workers told the channel that they felt “trapped like slaves”, working 16 hour days.
One worker told Middle East Eye there was little time to rest, adding: “We get tired. We suffer from anxiety day and night.” Another claimed: “We are treated like beggars.”
Figures showed 21,000 migrant workers from India, Bangladesh and Nepal have died since Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 project launched.
Delays and soaring costs have also reportedly beset the scheme, with the initial £392billion ($500bn) budget spiralling to £1.57trillion ($2tn).
Neom has been approached for comment. It has not been possible to reach Mr Al-Nasr.
