Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, has said that the Federal Government still has a long way to go as regards infrastructure, noting that the government has not done enough on infrastructure maintenance across the country.
The Minister made this disclosure while receiving an award from the Association of Indigenous Construction Contractors of Nigeria (AICCON) in appreciation for the regular payment of the Federal Government’s contractors in the last one and a half years.
He noted that another area where massive scope existed for partnership was in the maintenance sector, adding that the Ministry was already working on setting up a framework that would ensure maintenance of the nation’s infrastructural facilities.
Fashola added: “Whatever we build is built to a design life, subject to certain types of maintenance, and that is an area that we haven’t really done enough.”
He added that the Ministry was endevouring to establish a pilot maintenance framework, beginning with government buildings.
Lekan Osifeso, the Head of AICCON, praised Fashola for the constant payment of contractors, noting that the yearly size of the construction industry in Nigeria was N1tn, while the contribution of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was in excess of N200bn.
Osifeso lamented that unfortunately the greater part of the funds was lost to capital flight as a result of the non-patronage of local contractors over the years.
Osifeso said: “Our mission is in line with Mr. President’s Executive Order that clearly supports the participation of indigenous construction contractors by the government by way of commitment to patronage.
