Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba said on Tuesday that President Muhammudu Buhari was commited to addressing the huge infrastructure gaps in the country.
He said as a result, the President approved the review of the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan (NIIMP) and the constitution of the National Council on Infrastructure alongside a Technical Working Group in line with global best practices for effective infrastructure governance.
He said the review was to drive implementation of the NIIMP and support delivery of infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
He said that the reviewed NIIMP was recently launched to serve as a guide to Nigeria’s Infrastructure development as well as provide the foundation for an integrated pathway to the development of the national economy.
Agba, who stated this during the virtual inauguration of the National Council on Infrastructure on NIIMP: 2020-2043 in Abuja, disclosed that the establishment of the National Council on Infrastructure was conceived to provide high-level advisory support to the government with a clear implementation plan deliberately designed to support effective delivery of infrastructure projects in Nigeria.
He noted: “The fulcrum on which the National Council on Infrastructure was constituted is vested on recommendations in the governance framework for the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan implementation; indicating the positive collaboration and synergetic engagements of lead private sector players in driving the process of infrastructure projects financing and delivery; while the government provides the enabling and regulatory environment for policy decisions.
“The Government nominees represented as specialised MDAs alongside the private sector representatives were carefully selected based on their relevance, core mandates, expertise and abilities across range of infrastructure asset classes, while the Budget & National Planning arm of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning will serve as secretariat to the Council.
“The reviewed National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan also provides overview of major infrastructure projects successfully delivered by the present administration in the last five years (2015-2020) and further provides proactive approaches to enable the right investment to be made in projects at the right time taking into consideration government priorities, costs and risks.
“By investing in infrastructure with a focus on key sectors, Nigerians can be assured that the limited available resources will be channeled appropriately to achieve the most impactful outcomes and effectively improve the National economy.”
Agba congratulated members of the Council hon their inauguration and expressed appreciation to the Vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for his leadership and selfless service to the country.
Members of the National Council on Infrastructure (NCoInfra) include, among others, the Vice-President (chairperson), minister of finance, budget and national planning, minister of power, minister of works and housing, minister of transportation, minister of communication, minister of water resources, minister of state for budget and national planning, minister of justice and attorney general of the Federation, minister of aviation, minister of environment, governor of Central Bank, chairman if Nigeria Governors Forum, chair of Senate Committee on National planning and economy development and chair of the House of Reps Committee on national planning and economy development.
Others are President of MAN, president of NACCIMA, president of NSE, executive vice chair, Federal Competitive and Consumers Protection Commission, MD of Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Investment Authority, MD of the Infrastructure Bank, Plc, DG ICRC, DG BPP and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning (secretary).
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