As part of the public-private-partnership, PPP, drive of the federal government in developing federal road infrastructure across Nigeria, Minister of Works Sen.David Umahi on Wednesday in his office at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja had a close door meeting with with the Executive Governor of Taraba State, retired Military officer and former chairman, Governing Board of Directors, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Agbu Kefas, the founder and CEO of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Ndudi Elumelu, and a contemporary public administrator and graduate of Harvard Business School, Boston, Ndudi Elumelu.
A statement from the desk of the Works Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji noted that the development was in keeping with the road infrastructure development initiatives under the of the Renewed Hope agenda of President Tinubu’s administration being anchored by the Minister.
“It would be recalled that the Hon. Minister of Works in his determination to change the ugly narrative of road infrastructure in the country had set up three committees to work on the contracts executed by some concessionaires with the Federal Ministry of Works with a view to reviewing the scope and cost implications of the projects they undertook to execute under the Highway Development and Management Initiative( HDMI).
“This private sector initiative will fastrack road infrastructure revolution and bring order, accountability, and profitable entrepreneurship to the operations, management, and maintenance of federal highways,” the statement reads in part.
According to it, both local and international investors are encouraged to take advantage of the business-friendly policies of the present administration to invest in the over 35,000 Kilometres of the national road network as it carries more than 70% of the vehicular traffic, making it a critical infrastructure for the movement of goods and services across the nation, an initiative, it added, will trigger local content and economic development as well as job and wealth creation for Nigerians.