Nigeria’s foremost professional body, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has flagged off the 2021 edition of the Nigerian infrastructure report card assessment project. The biennial project is in line with globally acceptable practices where the status, extent, scope, quality and quantity of infrastructure stock in the country are evaluated with the aim of determining their adequacy for current and future needs. The report card also presents the investment gaps so that the Nigerian Governments may know how much investment is needed to bridge the infrastructure gaps in the country.
The 2021 edition is the NSE’s third edition having produced the maiden edition in 2015 and another edition in 2017. For the seamless completion of the 2021 Infrastructure Scorecard Report, a committee was set up headed by Ademola Olorunfemi a former NSE President and currently, the Chairman, NSE Engineering Indices and Infrastructure Report Card Committee, supported by other Members of NSE such as Femi Akintunde, Chief Executive Officer, Alphamead Group; BatomBari Lezor, Bamidele Dahunsi, Gbenga Adeyemi, Kenneth Oronsaye, Nimot Muili, Obuks Ejohwomu, Patrick Obidoyin, Rilwan Anjorin, Chuwkudi Ezugu, John Audu, Babatunde Odunlami, Ogbonnaya Ochu, Elkana Yayock and Kaka Bulu. The Committee is ably supported by Ukeme Peters representing Messrs Alpha Mead, the Project Technical Partner, and the BusinessDay Research and Intelligence Unit (BRIU) represented by Teliat Sule.
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On what motivated the NSE to produce an infrastructure report card , the current President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Babagana Mohammed, said the report will inform the general public if the infrastructure available in the country is enough for them to achieve their socioeconomic aspirations in life.
‘’Infrastructure Report Cards (IRCs) are abbreviated reports and commentary on the general condition of a nation’s economic and social public infrastructure. Usually produced by the National Institution of Engineering, they vary in frequency, scope and detail depending on available resources and their objectives. Infrastructure report cards have been used in various countries to report on the state of infrastructure.
IRCs are a veritable tool for National development in the UK, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Zambia just to mention but a few. It serves the purpose of informing Societies whether or not they have the necessary infrastructure to achieve their economic, industrial, social and environmental aspirations’’, Babagana Mohammed, NSE President, said.
‘’NSE has a privileged position to produce infrastructure report cards, as it has access to a vast pool of knowledge and expertise, and it brings together professionals and experts working in public infrastructure, works and services, who have extensive experience and knowledge and can inform objectively and serve as intermediary between Civil Societies and governments. In addition, professional organizations have greater access to the knowledge and experience of experts’’, Mohammed added.
As part of its contributions to driving Nigeria’s infrastructure revolution, the Nigerian Society of Engineers in 2015, when Ademola Olorunfemi was the President, produced the maiden edition of the Infrastructure Ranking Scorecard for Nigeria. The report card graded the state of built infrastructure in all sectors and states; and provided policy makers an empirical guide in making choices and investment decisions with respect to infrastructure development. It was expected to drive the efficient and effective allocation of resources for the renewal, provision, delivery, maintenance, management and continued development of the nation’s infrastructure stock. The second edition of the scorecard was produced in 2017.
A major segment of the infrastructure report card is the solicitation of the views of members of the general public on the state of infrastructure in their neighbourhood and environment. Participation in this year’s survey can be done HERE
The Global Competitiveness Report for 2019 by the World Economic Forum ranked Nigeria infrastructure 130 out of a total of 141 countries with a score of 39.7 (from a scale of 1 to 100). Inadequate supply of infrastructure was mentioned as the most problematic factor for doing business in Nigeria, followed by corruption, access to financing and policy instability among other factors.
”The inadequate physical infrastructure stock of our country is one of the major constraints against sustained and broad-based strong economic growth”, Ademola Olorunfemi said.
The 3rd Edition of the NSE NIRC 2021 would cover the following key infrastructure areas :Electric Power, Transportation, Aviation, Water Supply & Waste-Water, Solid Waste Management (Sanitation), Health, Education, Oil & Gas, Housing and Tourism. Others are Sports, Agriculture, Communication & ICT, Emergency & Response, and Security & law.
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