The Federal Government (FG) has established the National Council on Infrastructure created to bridge the country’s infrastructure gaps while improving collaboration between the public and private sectors. This was made known by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande in a statement titled ‘Osinbajo notes progress in infrastructure, inaugurates new council with public-private collaboration’.
According to the statement, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said, “For efficient and effective implementation of infrastructure projects, the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) recommended the establishment of the National Council on Infrastructure and its Technical Working Group (TWG).
“The success of the NIIMP will depend, to a large extent on the establishment of a strong implementation mechanism and framework that promotes performance and accountability.
“The National Council on Infrastructure is to provide policy direction on infrastructure matters and drive the creation and sustenance of the expected synergy and linkages between the public and private sector to enhance the implementation of the infrastructure master plan while the TWG is to provide guidance to the Council and advice on all infrastructure-related matters”.
The Vice President said the present administration was committed to investing in road, rail, and power infrastructure in order to enhance economic development.
He said, “They include the second Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Road (funded through the presidential infrastructure development fund); the construction and upgrading of about 5,000km of major road projects across the country through the Sukuk bond. Rail sector investments include the Lagos-Kano standard gauge lines and the Warri-Itakpe rail.
“In the energy sector, this administration has greenlit NLNG Train 7, invested in the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, and is on track to complete an incremental 4,000MW of generating assets such as Zungeru Hydro and Kashimibilla Hydro to complement systemic reforms and investments in the distribution and transmission segments of the electricity value chain”.
The Vice President is the Chairman of the Council while members include representatives of the State Governors, Federal Ministers, heads of government agencies, and members of the private sector.
Members of the Council include the Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Ministers of Work, Babatunde Fashola; Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami; Aviation, Hadi Sirika; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Others are President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mansur Ahmed; Executive Vice Chairman, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Babatunde Irukera, amongst others.
