The immediate-past Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Salihu Moh Lukman, said achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in road, rail and aviation are verifiable while need no literary debate.
Lukman, however asked leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be honest in their assessment of the APC government.
In his biweekly review of performances in government between the APC and PDP released Wednesday in Abuja, Lukman without any doubt, one of the areas APC administration of President Muhammadu Buhari departs radically from all PDP administrations is the drive to develop road, railways and aviation infrastructure across every part of the country.
According to the APC chieftain, the Buhari’s federal government has boldly pursued reforms aimed at laying a solid and sustainable foundation for the greatness of Nigeria in these areas.
“More roads and railways infrastructure are being built and/or completed since 2015, than in the sixteen years under PDP between 1999 and 2015. Several landmark infrastructure initiatives are being implemented.
“Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), Infrastructure Company (InfraCo), Highway Development Maintenance Initiative (HDMI), Sovereign Sukuk Bonds, and the Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme have been initiated to mobilise and coordinate application of national resources to execute specific projects. These are unprecedented initiatives in developing and upgrading national infrastructure. Equally unparalleled is President Buhari’s commitment to completing abandoned and unfinished projects inherited from previous PDP administrations.
“For instance, the 327km Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail was completed by APC led administration of President Buhari 33 years after construction began. The 168 km Abuja-Kaduna Rail project, and the 42.5 km Abuja Light Rail project, both inherited from previous PDP administrations, were completed in 2016 and 2018 respectively. The second Niger Bridge, originally conceived decades ago, is now more than 50 percent completed, and scheduled for commissioning this year (2022). Similarly, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which has defied every administration since 1999 is scheduled to be completed also this year (2022).
“In the area of roads and bridges, work has since resumed on several stalled, abandoned or solution-defying road projects that were inherited from PDP administrations, like the Loko-Oweto Bridge, Sagamu-Benin Expressway, the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Kano-Maiduguri Expressway, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, Obajana-Kabba Road, Ilorin-Jebba Road, Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Road, and several others are in progress, with some already close to completion. A brand new bridge in Ikom, Cross River State, has just been completed, which replaced the dilapidated steel truss bridge originally built five decades ago.
“Construction work on the Second Niger Bridge, a contract awarded multiple times between 2002 and 2015, during the sixteen-year tenure of PDP governments, but constantly stalled for lack of funding, finally kicked off in 2018, with guaranteed funding, for the first time in the history of the project. In 2017, construction finally commenced on the Bodo-Bonny Bridges and Road (linking Bonny Island to the Rivers Mainland), a project first mooted decades ago, and awarded a number of times without success under PDP administration.”
While responding to a column in a daily Newspaper credited to the a former Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka, titled “Minister Fashola and the Difference between APC and PDP,” Lukman said APC administration has commissioned the 156 km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail, the first double-track Standard Gauge Rail project in West Africa (and the first Standard Gauge Rail project in Nigeria to be started and completed by the same administration).
“Other landmark projects being completed include the Bodo-Bonny Road in Rivers State, Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway, Loko-Oweto Bridge connecting Benue and Nasarawa States across the River Benue, Port Harcourt-Enugu Expressway, East-West Road (across Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States), the new Ikom Bridge in Cross River, Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway, Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road, and many more.
“In Aviation sector, New International Airport Terminals have been completed and commissioned in Abuja and Port Harcourt, while those in Lagos and Kano are being completed. In addition, brand new Runways have been constructed in Abuja and Enugu, in 2017 and 2020 respectively. In May 2016, the APC led administration of President Buhari launched its Aviation Roadmap, with the aim of transforming the sector, in terms of safety, infrastructure and economic viability.
“Major highlights of the Roadmap include the Establishment of a National Carrier, Development of Agro-Allied/Cargo Terminals, Concessioning of the Major International Airports, Establishment of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center, Establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company, Development of Aerotropolis (Airport Cities), Establishment of an Aerospace University, Designation of 4 International Airports as Special Economic Zones, Upgrade of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).
“Since the launching of the Aviation Roadmap, the Ministry of Aviation has focused on implemention. In terms of infrastructure, the new Terminals of the Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano International Airports, inherited from the previous PDP administration, have been completed, while the new Lagos Terminal is very close to completion. Brand new Runways have been constructed at the Abuja and Enugu International Airports, in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
“More than a dozen airports around the country have had Low Level Windshear Alert Systems (LLWAS) installed, to improve flight safety. Investigations revealed that the Sosoliso and ADC plane crashes of 2005 and 2006 respectively were caused by the absence of LLWAS in the airports. The Lagos and Abuja Airports have had the Category 3 Instrument Landing System (ILS) installed – which provides the capability for landing safely and accurately in conditions of near-zero visibility.
“The Concession process for the Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt International Airports – the four main International Airports in the country – is ongoing, with completion of the process scheduled for this year (2022). A significant portion of the investment into the Aviation Sector has been focused on resolving issues and bridging gaps inherited from previous PDP Administrations. One example is the payment of pensions owed to staff of the defunct Nigeria Airways. President Buhari approved that the backlog of almost twenty years be cleared, and has released the funds. The reconstruction of the Runways in Abuja and Enugu were also long overdue, but neglected by previous PDP governments. Investments that should have been made over the decades are now finally being made.
“Under the APC led government of President Buhari, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) has acquired several new training aircraft, and has been recognised globally by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Among other things the NCAT now has a brand new Boeing 737 Full Flight Simulator, as well as a fully-automated Fire and Smoke Aircraft Training Simulator, which now means that Nigerian personnel no longer have to be sent to Cameroon for training on tackling aircraft fires and smoke, which was the case throughout the sixteen years of PDP tenure between 1999 and 2015.
“The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) now has a world-class Flight Safety Laboratory, which means that Airplane Recorders, popularly known as “Black Box”, no longer have to be sent abroad for analysis. Furthermore, the AIB is now actively providing technical support and services to other African countries, including assisting Sierra Leone to set up its own Accident Investigation Agency, in 2021.
“On the matter of the new private-sector-led National Carrier, the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, has assured that the establishment process is still on course, with a target commencement date for operations in Q3 2022. In May 2021, President Buhari approved the designation of the 4 major International Airports in the country as Special Economic Zones. The procurement processes for the establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center, and an Aerospace University are also all ongoing.
“In the railway sector, in addition to Lagos-Ibadan, Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail lines and the Abuja Light Rail, APC led government has also initiated the Kano-Maiduguri Standard Gauge Rail, and the revamping of Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri Narrow Gauge Rail. Financing negotiations is also ongoing for Ibadan-Kano Standard Gauge Rail Project. There is of course the Kano-Maradi 387 km Standard Gauge Rail, for which construction work commenced in February 2021.”
Lukman, however, said the debate about what differentiate APC government from all previous PDP government in relation to infrastructural development should not be reduced to literary debates.
“It is about looking at all the evidences. It will be imprudent to seek to develop or conjecture some theories to nullify concrete evidences of APC’s achievement. In fact, failure to recognise evidences by PDP leaders such as Mr. Chidoka demonstrate unwillingness to learn from their past mistakes, which could mean if they come back to power, they will make the same old mistakes of running government based on weak or lack of commitment to prioritise investment in infrastructural development.
