Atiku Abubakar has said Nigeria suffers a huge infrastructure deficit.
According to the PDP presidential front runner, “poor funding and chronic
underinvestment by successive governments have crippled the state of Nigeria's
infrastructure. Leaving an annual funding gap in excess of N15 trillion (USD
10.5billion) in infrastructure development. Sound infrastructure and adequate power
are essential for stimulating economic growth and development in any nation and vital
for improving the lives of people.
Commenting on the challenge, the former Vice President said “let us look at roads,
transportation and power. Only 15.3 % of the 195,200km of the road network in Nigeria
is adequately tarred and motor-able. Only 67 % of tarred roads are in good or fair
condition compared to other resource-rich nations in Africa. Our transportation services
depend on dilapidated roads and the railways is non-existent. Nigeria's current supply
gap in electricity is over 20,000MW as the power sector has struggled to supply reliable
power to its citizens and economy.
All these, he says, have to stop because as “President I promise to commit infrastructure
spending of about 12% of GDP which will considerably improve infrastructure
development without posing any significant risk to overall economic growth. Good
infrastructure supports social and cultural advances so it is imperative that a strong infrastructure development drive is pursued in order to stimulate the necessary
development.”
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