- Meets With Dangote, Taraba State Gov, Elumelu
By Celestine Okafor (Editor-in-Chief)
Nigeria's Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, has been engaging with concessionaires and other private sector organizations on the need for private sector investment on the nation's road infrastructure as done in advanced economies of the world.
This move is in keeping with the road infrastructure initiatives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration.
The move also informed the closed door meeting the Minister of Works held with the Governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas; the founder and CEO of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the Heirs Holdings founded by Mr Tony Elumelu on Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at the Ministry of Works, Abuja.
It would be recalled that Umahi, in his zeal to change the ugly narrative of road infrastructure in Nigeria, 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 Governor of Taraba, Dr Agbu Kefas, who retired as a military professional, was a one-time chairman of the Governing Board of Directors of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) before he became Governor.
The founder and CEO of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is one of Africa's foremost captain of industry who has made ambitious investments in the development of infrastructure in Nigeria.
His counterpart and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, is also one of Africa's leading investors who has shown manifest commitment in the transformation of Nigeria's infrastructure through long- term investment in strategic sectors of Nigeria's economy, including the financial services sector and infrastructure development.
It is hoped that investors, local and international, and other organized bodies would take advantage of the will power of the Tinubu administration's Renewed Hope Agenda, the private sector experience and professional capacities of the Minister of Works to invest in the over 35,000 Km of the national road network being managed by the Federal Government.
This road network carries more than 70% of the vehicular traffic plying the nation's highways, making it a critical infrastructure for the movement of goods and services across the nation. This initiative expected to trigger enormous economic development, job creation, local content development and wealth creation for the Nigerian population. NNL.
