By Ismaila Chafe
The Presidency has again, reeled out 28-page of President Muhammadu Buhari’s strides in Oil and gas reforms, Digital economy, Mines and steel development, Agriculture, Education, Health, Creative Industry, Sports and infrastructural development; roads, bridges, rail, air and sea ports, housing, and many others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president’s scorecard is coming ahead of the seven year anniversary of the Buhari-led administration on May 29, 2022.
President Buhari had in May 29, 2015, took the oath of office as President, promising to serve Nigeria faithfully in all spheres of national life.
The seven years milestone, according to the President’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, presents a major landmark and opportunity to review the service of the president to the country, and its people.
Adesina noted that the Buhari administration has so far delivered in its promises to Nigerians although revisionists would want to look at security challenges, which are being robustly tackled by the government.
A one-stop shop of the achievements of the Buhari administration at seven indicated that a lot has been done, and a lot more will still be done in the 12 months ahead.
Nigeria, under Buhari’s watch, has continued to witness the biggest and most ambitious federal infrastructure programme since Nigeria’s Independence.
To further consolidate the provision of infrastructural development in the country, the administration in Feb. 2021 established the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria (InfraCorp), with initial seed Capital of N1 trillion, provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).
InfraCorp’s goal is to “to catalyse and accelerate investment into Nigeria’s infrastructure sector by originating, structuring, executing and managing end-to-end bankable projects in that space.”
In addition to the N1 trillion equity seed capital, InfraCorp is expected to mobilise up to an additional N14 trillion of debt capital.
Establishment in 2020 of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), with more than $1 billion in funding so far.
The government’s capital investments in the railway sub-sector has since started yielding fruitful results despite the unfortunate attack on the Kaduna-bound train service in March.
The 156km Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail was completed and inaugurated within a Nigerian-record-time of four years (2017 to 2021) while 8.72km extension to Lagos-Ibadan Rail Line, to Lagos Port Complex, was also completed in 2021.
The Abuja-Kaduna 186km Standard Gauge Rail Line was completed and inaugurated in 2016, while the 327km Itakpe-Warri Standard Gauge Rail was completed and commissioned in 2020, 33 years after construction began.
As part of this project, there was the full rehabilitation of the Railway Village, Agbor, as well as construction of a Railway Ancillary Facilities Yard, also in Agbor. In 2021 the Line commenced commercial freight haulage, transporting pipelines for the AKK Gas Pipeline project.
In a bid to check fraudulent practices, the management of the Nigerian railway Corporation (NRC) completed the E-Ticketing concession process on Abuja-Kaduna Route in 2021, which increased the monthly generated revenue from less than N200 Million to N400 Million.
It has since commenced the E-Ticketing concession process for the Lagos-Ibadan and Warri-Itakpe Standard Gauge Rail Lines.
”The scope of the project is to Design, Finance, Build, Operate and Manage Secure Ticketing Solution systems (Hardware and Software) for the two lines.”
The Abuja Light Rail project was completed in 2018, while construction has commenced on Kaduna-Kano Standard Gauge Rail Line, following the ground-breaking by President Buhari in July 2021.
The president had also carried out ground-breaking for construction of 284km Kano-Maradi Standard Gauge Rail (with branch line to Dutse), preliminary works started 2021.
The Nigerian leader also carried out the ground-breaking for complete revamp of Port Harcourt–Maiduguri Narrow Gauge Rail, as the government took delivery of 377 Wagons, 64 Coaches, and 21 Locomotives (including DMUs) purchased for the Standard Gauge network, between 2016 and 2021.
On Jobs creation, training and capacity building, more than 11,000 new jobs had been created from the on-going rail modernization projects in the country.
A special write-up released by Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesman, indicated that: ”More than 100 qualified young Nigerians awarded full international scholarships for undergraduate/graduate courses in rail engineering and transport in China, from 2018.”
In addition, dozens of Nigerian Engineers had been trained as part of the railway modernization projects, while a new Transportation University in Daura, Katsina State, and new Rail Wagon Assembly Plant in Kajola, Ogun State are both nearing completion of construction.
On road projects, the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), is investing over a billion dollars in three flagship projects: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (for completion in 2022), Second Niger Bridge (for completion in 2022), Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway (first phase for completion in 2023).
President Buhari had on Jan. 25, 2019, issued the Executive Order 7 of 2019, on the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.
The scheme allows companies that are willing and able to spend their own funds on constructing critical roads, to recover their construction costs by paying reduced taxes, over a period of time, and in a transparent manner.
So far, more than N1 trillion has been mobilised through Executive Order 7, for road projects across all six geopolitical zones of the country, like Bodo-Bonny in Rivers and Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota in Lagos.
The Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI), a public-private partnership programme would also mobilise, in its first Phase, over a trillion Naira in private investment into the development and maintenance of 12 Roads, amounting to 1,963km in length.
”More than 600 billion Naira worth of Sukuk Bonds raised since 2017 for more than 40 critical road projects across all six geopolitical zones.
”Between November 25 and December 13, 2021, the Federal Government handed over to benefiting communities 941 km of completed Sukuk road projects connecting 10 states in five geo-political zones of the country”.
On air and sea ports development, the government had completed the new terminals for International Airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt while the New Runways for the Abuja and Enugu International Airports had been completed.
The Abuja International Airport Runway was reconstructed in 2017, for the first time since the Airport was built in the early 1980s.
In 2019 President Buhari approved a special fund of N10 Billion for the reconstruction of the Enugu Airport Runway; it was completed and reopened in August 2020).
Presidential approval for four International Airports as Special Economic Zones: Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt was also granted by the President as he approved funds for the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to build a world-class Flight Safety Laboratory (FSL) in Abuja, and train personnel to run it.
Now Nigeria no longer has to send aircraft Cockpit Voice Recorders and Flight Data Recorders (“Black Box”) abroad for downloading and analysis.
The Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, has undergone a transformation under President Buhari: A new Boeing 737 Full Flight Simulator has been installed in the College, as well as a fully-automated Fire and Smoke Aircraft Training Simulator.
Prior to the installation of the Fire and Smoke Simulator, Nigeria was sending personnel to Cameroon for the relevant training.
NCAT has also acquired 7 brand new Training Planes (1 multi-engine and 6 single-engine) that use Jet A1 fuel; to replace the old training planes that were expensive to maintain.
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) in July 2017 received the ISO 9001:2015 certification (re-certified in August 2020) for aeronautical meteorological services delivery, making Nigeria the first-ever African country to achieve this feat.
Significant infrastructural upgrades at various Airports nationwide include, Cat-3 ILS/DME (ILS = Instrument Landing System; DME = Distance Measuring Equipment) installed in Lagos and Abuja Airports in 2019 — which allows planes to land in zero visibility.
Installation in progress in 3 more airports as Cat-2 ILS/DME had been installed in 10 airports around the country, another 4 in progress Doppler Omni-directional Range (DVOR) / DME installed in 8 airports o Air Traffic Control (ATC) Mobile Towers installed in Lagos and Abuja Airports.
The procurement processes for the establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company in Nigeria, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Centre, and the development of Aerotropolis (Airport Cities) in Lagos and Abuja are all ongoing, for completion in 2022, according to the project timelines.
Also the Lekki Deep Sea Port, the first new Sea Port in Nigeria in decades, is now more than 90 per cent completed, while the ground-breaking done for Bonny Deep Sea Port was done in March 2021, and the inauguration of Kaduna Inland Dry Port was done in 2018.
The construction of Kano and Katsina Inland Dry Ports are ongoing, and to be completed this year, while the ‘Deep Blue’ Maritime Security Project was completed in 2021. The project includes 17 Special Mission Vessels, 2 Special Mission Aircraft, and 3 Helicopters.
The Maritime sector also witnessed the launch of a new Cabotage Compliance Strategy, in 2019, by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to enforce the implementation of the Cabotage Act.
The sector also witnessed the Introduction of Electronic Call-up system by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), to substantially address the challenges of traffic gridlock caused by the Lagos Ports, using technology.
The designation of the Lilypond Container Terminal in Ijora, Lagos as a specialized processing and handling facility for the export of locally-made agricultural and finished goods was also achieved in the period under review.
It also witnessed the commencement of indigenous survey and charting of Nigeria’s offshore waters, by the Nigerian Navy’s new Hydrographic Survey Vessel, NNS LANA.
”Cabinet approval for award of 30-year Concession of Onitsha River Port, under a Rehabilitate, Operate and Transfer (ROT) arrangement, February in 2022.”
There was also the development of capacity at the Eastern Ports: ”Reduction of Tariff (10% Rebate) on Harbour Dues for vessels calling at the Eastern Ports, as part of incentives to encourage vessel traffic to the Eastern Ports.”
In December 2017, Calabar Port commenced export of bulk cement to Tema Port in Ghana.
– In 2019, 3 container ships berthed at Calabar Port, for the first time in eleven years
– Dredging of Warri Port (Escravos Bar—Warri Port channel) completed in 2018
– On Oct. 30, 2019, an LPG Tanker operated by NLNG, berthed in Port
Harcourt – the first time ever an LPG ship berthed in any of the Eastern Ports
– On Dec. 8, 2019, Onne Port received JPO VOLANS (owned by Maersk), the FIRST gearless and largest container vessel (265.07 metres) to call at any Eastern Port in Nigeria.
– On Aug. 1, 2019, Onne Port’s Brawal Terminal received MSC GRACE, its first container vessel since 2012.
– In March 2021, the export of 7,000 metric tonnes of cocoa through Calabar Port to the United States, for the first time in about 14 years.
– The two largest container ships to ever berth at any Nigerian port, have been in Onne, in the last 3 years: Maersk Stadelhorn, 300m long & 48m wide, on August 15, 2020, and Lady Jane on April 13, 2022. 294.5m long and 32.3m wide.
On power generation and distribution, the Buhari administration would be leaving behind an incremental 4,000MW+ of power generating assets as this will be completed during the life of the administration.
These include the Zungeru Hydro, Kashimbila Hydro, Afam III Fast Power, Kudenda Kaduna Power Plant, the Okpai Phase 2 Plant, the Dangote Refinery Power Plant, and others.(NAN)
