By Obaike Odihue
The Federal Government has directed all its Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to as a matter of urgency step up their collaboration with the private sector players for speedy infrastructure development in the country.
Minister of Information and National Orientation. Mohammed Idris stated this on Monday while briefing newsmen at the end of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, Meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He noted that there was an increasing need for private sector players to actively participate in the development of the nation, especially in terms of infrastructure, saying that such players with requisite funds should not be denied the opportunity.
“Council has also taken note of the increased collaboration that government is desirous of doing with the private sector. And, therefore, has directed all MDAs, especially the Ministry of Works and others that deal with critical infrastructure, to collaborate more with the private sector in terms of infrastructure development.
“What I’m trying to say is that the government is saying that there is an increasing need for people in the private sector to participate actively in our economic growth here as a nation. And therefore, wherever there are private sector players that can participate using their own funds, and we have seen an increased appetite among private sector players to come in and contribute their own quota towards the infrastructure development of the economy, especially in the area of roads construction.
“So Council has directed that there must be this increased collaboration with the private sector players so that together the economy can grow.”
Idris also disclosed that government had taken a drastic decision to go after some criminal elements who had formed the habit of vandalising and stealing government assets on roads and bridges such as iron metals and scraps and sell to those who would recycle them.
He said the Attorney-General of the Federarion and Minister of Justice had been directed, consequently, to strengthen the existing laws that criminalise such activities so that the laws can be applied on them.
“There is also a conversation, I mean a discussion around some vendors, capital vendors or miners or whatever you call them. We have seen an increased activity among people who, you know, are scrupulously going to steal some of these government assets on the road by bridges and, you know, critical metals that people just go and take and then go and sell.
“The federal government is already mulling the possibility of criminalizing this. Of course, we already have some of these laws in existence, but we are looking at them in depth, and the Attorney General of the Federation has been directed to look at that.
“There is an increased activity, you know, that the government has noted where people go, especially in the cover of the night, remove some of these government assets, iron metals and scraps, and then go to sell them to other individuals who in turn now recycle them and bring them back to the market.
“There is an increased activity that the government has noted along that direction. Therefore, that’s what makes me very much concerned and is taking a closer look at how this can be litigated going forward. Like I said, the Federal Executive Council has actually six one ended today, but it speaks to ensure that all the labels that should be looked at are cleared expeditiously,” the Minister said.
