Nigeria must overcome infrastructure deficit – Afe Babalola

Eminent lawyer and educationist, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, yesterday identified six hurdles on the path of Nigeria achieving sustainable infrastructural development, DAVID AGBA reports.

At the yearly conference of the Nigerian Society of Engineers in Akure, Aare Babalola fingered three main drawbacks as the negative influence of a corrupt and retrogressive political class; lack of proper funding and finance necessary to drive infrastructural development and overdependence on foreign technology, goods and services for local project.
In a keynote address, the founder of Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado Ekiti,  also listed the weakening of local infrastructural development and maintenance capabilities;

erosion of a culture of  technological innovation and research in our universities; and lopsided manpower deployment in engineering and technology institutions and ministries as the other hindrances to national infrastructural development..
Aare Babalola who has his first degree in economics said “infrastructural development is economically sustainable if it results in the growth of the economy, job creation and eradication of poverty.

Weak infrastructure affects economic growth. Difficulties accessing markets via crumbling roads or clogged up ports and vast expenditure on generators required to avoid blackouts are regularly cited as the biggest challenges to investors in this country.
“The focus of the governments must be to fund and support projects that could stimulate economic growth. Any so called infrastructure project that does not contribute to the goals of removing barriers to economic growth or support economic productivity is, in my opinion, a white elephant project and an unsustainable one.”
Citing his experience while building the six-year old ABUAD, the university administrator canvassed that national infrastructural development must be erected on economic, social and environmental sustainability. “Infrastructural development must therefore be based on sound blue prints that deliver balanced economic, social and environmental development and growth. An infrastructural master plan must deliver practical and measurable gains in the three sectors: economic, social and environmental, otherwise it is unsustainable, wishful, speculative and failure-bound.”
Aare Babalola who spoke on how to make national aspirations realizable, praised the efforts in drawing the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, NIIM, and described the plan “as a necessary statement of intent that is line with global trends in infrastructural development.

” He said Nigeria was towing the path taken by developing economies namely Malaysia, India Singapore and China.
He raised concerns on the implementation of the NIIMP with its $3 trillion budget. “A first key concern with the master plan is that it does not deliver realistic projection on how government intends to fund this significant capital infrastructural development in the light of dwindling oil prices.”
Specifically, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria picked holes in government’s commitment to the Public-Private-Partnership and noted that “very little is shown in terms of commitment to support and partner with the private sector.

“The government expects the private sector to survive or perish at its own expense, without providing any support of functional climate for the private for the private sector to play meaningful roles in addressing infrastructural deficits,” he observed.
While examining the plans, projections and execution of the National Infrastructural Master Plan unveiled last year by the Federal Government, Aare Babalola charged policy makers and engineers especially to  “produce an implementation and position paper on NIIMP” to ensure that the nation quickly jump starts the realization of sustainable economic development.
President, NSE, Engr. Ademola Olorunfemi described the shortage of infrastructure as a major challenge to economic development and an impediment to achieving national targets. “It is regrettable that we have in the last two decades lost a chunk of investments to neighboring countries and the threat of losing more looms, on the account of decaying infrastructure,” he added.

He said this year’s conference based on the NIIMP was designed “to provide government with a graphic picture of the state of affairs and the need to step up policies geared towards expanding our infrastructure base.”
He describe the NIIMP as Nigeria’s blueprint for accelerated infrastructure development to provide the road map for building world class infrastructure that will enhance the quality of life of the people.
Engr. Olorunfemi also presented the 2015 Infrastructure Scorecard  to the SGF for delivery to President Buhari.  He described the document as a guide on choices for investment decisions in various sectors of the economy. He expressed confidence that the document will assist to give meaning to NIIMP and its effective implementation. He promised that the NSE will review it every two years.

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko emphasized the need for durable infrastructure to ensure rapid development and praised the NSE for assuming its role in the quest for national development.
He praised the efforts of the Jonathan administration in giving the nation a long term planning perspective contained in the NIIMP and urged engineers to ensure its proper implementation.
Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed said the Federal Government has established the Infrastructure Development Fund to drive the implementation of the key components of the NIIMP and emphasized the role of the private sector in supporting its full realization.
The Secretary to the Federal Government, Eng Babachir Lawal bagged the NSE professional fellowship award while Aare Babalola, Dr. Mimiko, and the Chairman of Innoson Industries, Chief Innocent Chukwuma were made honorary fellows.