Tinubu desires to bridge infrastructure gap through PPP — Shettima

Vice President Kashim Shettima has restated the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to bridge infrastructure gap through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the country.

The vice president stated this at the public presentation of two books authored by Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN), the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Osun State University on Thursday in Abuja.

Supreme News reports that the title of the two books are — Supreme Court and Jurisprudence of the Right to a Fair Hearing in Nigeria and Public Private Partnership: An Essential Guide for Stakeholders.

Shettima, who said that the yawning infrastructure gap in the country was alarming, assured that Tinubu would redefine the meaning and concept of leadership in the country.

The vice president added that the country wouldn’t shy away from taking necessary decisions to attract private sector participation in that regard.

He said according to the estimate of the African Development Bank, Africa as a continent needs a minimum of 170 billion dollars annually by 2025 to overhaul its infrastructure.

He explained that “with two third of that being needed for the entirely new infrastructure and the remaining one third for maintenance, how much do we generate in a year?.

“The highest we have ever generated was 35 billion dollars from oil proceed in 2011. So, we need Public Private Partnership to deliver infrastructure to Nigeria.

“This challenge is a massive opportunity for investment in making funding mechanism such as private public partnership and these are handy with the establishment of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.

“It is an agency charged with the responsibility of superintending and regulating PPP endeavour at the federal level. Many states have passed law to regulate PPPs and established similar agency for that purpose.”

He recalled Tinubu’s legacies as governor of Lagos State, a feat he said the President is set to replicate at the national level in the bid to reposition the country.

“There is, of course, no politician in the country today who can match Tinubu’s experience in both brokering public-private partnership and understanding what must be done to bridge our infrastructure gaps.

“You only need to gaze into the realities of Lagos, before and after his progressive leadership as the governor to realise his spectacular legacy, a skill-set he’s again brought into play to reposition Nigeria as a competitive global player.”

He noted that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda was built on the realisation of improved infrastructure as critical catalyst for the nation’s economic growth.

Shettima pointed out that the projections of the administration’s sound economic team on revolutionising investment in infrastructure are in tandem with those of its development partners.

He described the two books as an eagle-eyed contribution to the nation’s pursuit of order and development.

He said “the two books authored by one of the most cerebral lawyers of our generation are on the two most relevant topics in our circumstances as a developing nation.

“The Supreme Court and the Jurisprudence of the Right to a Fair Hearing in Nigeria and Public Private Partnership: An Essential Guide for Stakeholders.

“Malam Yusuf Ali is a leading reservoir of legal knowledge, especially with details of his practical interaction and appearances in the apex court.

“History is unlikely to forgive him if he declines to come up with books about his beloved profession.

“The books will be reference materials for our judges, lawyers and law students on the development of jurisprudence of the right to fair hearing.

“His second book on the essential guide to public private partnership is equally timely and handy to government officials, practitioners and other stakeholders. Certainly, I will read this book.”

Earlier, the book reviewer, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, said the book offers an absorbing, interesting and informative insight on Supreme Court’s jurisprudence on the right to fair hearing in Nigeria.

He said that the book was a well-researched study, focusing on the principles of fair hearing as laid down by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He added that “it is a must-read for not only lawyers and judges, but all stakeholders involved in the justice sector.”

Also, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwola, said “books are not written by many people to make money. This is one of it, but for legacies to be left behind.”

In attendance were the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, among others.