The second Niger bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, and other critical projects funded by the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) would be finished by 2023, according to President Muhammadu Buhari.
This was said by President Buhari on Monday at the start of a two-day mid-term ministerial performance review retreat, which was held to examine progress toward the administration’s nine core targets.
Buhari utilized the occasion to highlight some of the federal government’s accomplishments over the last two years, according to presidential spokesman Femi Adesina.
“On transportation, we are growing the stock and quality of our road, rail, air, and water transport infrastructure,” Buhari said.
“The PIDF projects are also advancing remarkably. These include the 11.9km Second Niger Bridge, 120 km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, 375 km Abuja – Kaduna – Zaria – Kano Expressway and the East West Road. Most of these projects are expected to be completed within this 2nd term of our Administration.”
The president also stated that his administration has made significant progress on railway projects in the country, noting that the Lagos–Ibadan line, which was just completed, is helping to upgrade the railway network.
“Work is expected to commence very soon on the Port-Harcourt Maiduguri line and Calabar – Lagos Coastal Line to connect the Southern and Eastern States of our Country. Progress is also being made on the upgrading of our Airports, with the state-of-the-art facilities in line with world-class safety standards,” he said.
On the economy, the president stated that the country has grown for three quarters in a row, following negative growth rates in the second and third quarters of 2020.
In terms of safety, Buhari declared that the ministry of defense has been directed to establish a small military-industrial complex to address some of the country’s armed services’ needs.
Nigeria’s over-dependence on other countries for military equipment and logistics, he claimed, will be addressed by the establishment of the industrial complex.
According to him, the initiative is being carried out by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), a military department in charge of weaponry production.
“As part of the efforts towards strengthening our national security, we have increased investments in arms, weapons and other necessary equipment; expanded the National Command and Control Centre to nineteen states of the Federation; and established a Nigerian Police Trust Fund, which will significantly improve funding for the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.
The president warned all ministers and permanent secretaries to take seriously all issues relating to the implementation of their mandates towards the attainment of the objectives of the government.
The president also unveiled the presidential priorities performance management system.
He said the system and dashboard, which has been in effect since January, had provided him the opportunity to track projects in real-time with live data.
“In our continuing drive to ensure accountability, we have incorporated a Performance Management Framework into the functions of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit for ease of tracking of the Ministerial Deliverables along the lines of the 9 priority areas of this administration,” Buhari said,
“This initiative has provided me the opportunity to track the performance of all Ministries and by extension my Administration.
“This process has been in effect since January 2021 and today it gives me great pleasure to unveil the Performance Management System and Dashboard to track projects in real-time with live data and early warning system to proactively resolve bottlenecks.”
