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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government, yesterday, lamented attacks on critical infrastructure in the country.
The lamentations came at a Town Hall meeting on protection of public infrastructure held in Abuja.
Present at the meeting were Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohamed Musa Bello; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami; and Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, among others.
Mohammed said the Town Hall meeting was both urgent and important because it touched on an issue that was at the very core of economic growth and development.
The minister said the country suffered massive infrastructure deficit due to decades of neglect, population explosion and absence of maintenance culture.
He however said since coming into office in 2015, the Muhammadu Buhari administration, despite a drastic drop in revenues and competing priorities, especially that of tackling insecurity, the administration has invested heavily in providing new infrastructure, in addition to reconstructing and rehabilitating existing ones.
“However, in recent times, such laudable efforts of government are being thwarted by some unpatriotic citizens through wanton destruction of critical infrastructure, thereby depriving the greater citizenry – for whose benefits these projects and services are provided – from enjoying them.
“Railway tracks are being subjected to wanton destruction, bridge railings are being removed, manhole covers are being pilfered, street lights and other power infrastructure, oil pipelines, telecoms facilities and critical aviation infrastructure are being damaged or stolen. Apart from endangering the lives of fellow innocent citizens, such unpatriotic acts take a toll on the government’s limited revenue, as it seeks to replace, rehabilitate or totally reconstruct such destroyed infrastructure.
“On another level is the incessant attacks on critical public facilities such as police stations and INEC offices. As a matter of fact, the destruction of public infrastructure and facilities is not just vandalism, it is a form of terrorism. Removal of rail tracks can cause train derailment, with deadly consequences. Tampering with aviation infrastructure endangers the lives of air passengers. Attacks on police stations have left many police personnel dead. These are all acts of terror.
“And this is why we have decided to organise a series of Town Hall meetings to address this incessant and worsening destruction of public infrastructure and facilities,” Mohammed said.
On his part, Fashola said government has invested heavily in the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges and buildings which has resulted in the improvement in the quality of lives of the citizens in areas such as improved travel time and job creation.
He however said the effort of the government was recently being undermined by some citizens and residents who engaged in abuse and destruction of public infrastructure that cost the country huge sums of money to provide.
Fashola listed the undue interference with and allocation of lands within federal highways by local and state governments and ministries, agencies and departments without recourse to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as a major problem to the government.
Fashola also listed unauthorised cutting and excavation across the highway pavement and shoulders for installation of utilities, overloading of vehicles and indiscriminate parking and repairs of trailers/trucks on road carriageway and shoulders leading to static load and spilling of lubricant that caused premature failure of federal highways, amongst others.
