Investment in infrastructure helping to revamp economy – APC Campaign

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Legacy Awareness and Campaign says investment in critical infrastructure by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is critical to strengthening the nation’s economy.

Such investment, the group added, is creating new jobs, reviving local communities, boosting agriculture and engendering economic development.

The voluntary think-tank group of the ruling party, observed that the absence of such investment had been a major contributing factor to the dire socio-economic situation that the APC administration inherited in 2015.

APC Legacy Awareness and Campaign in a statement signed by Ismail Ahmed, Lanre Issa-Onilu, Tolu Ogunlesi and Salihu Lukman, said 12 dams have been completed and spread across 11 states since 2016, in line with President Buhari administration’s focus on infrastructure.

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The group said three hydropower projects, seven irrigation projects and 30 of 41 priority water supply projects inherited from the last administration have been completed within the period under review.

“The River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) are being revitalised to enable them fully serve the purpose for which they were established. These RBDAs have collectively built 42 small dams in their catchment areas, and efforts are on to collaborate with state governments to fully utilise these dams.

“The RBDAs have also leased 253 farmlands to the private sector for commercial agriculture, according to the ministry of water resources; 181 of these farmlands are already being fully utilised. Partial commercialisation has also commenced at four of the RBDAs, as part of the administration’s efforts to ensure greater private sector involvement in the management and utilisation of national infrastructure.

“In the area of sanitation, President Buhari signed Executive Order 9 on November 20, 2019, in support of the administration’s efforts to end open defecation across the country. So far, 62 local government areas across 12 states of the country have been certified open defecation-free.

“On a policy level, the administration has developed a Water Sector Roadmap (2016 — 2030), that is providing inspiration and guidance for the unprecedented work in infrastructure delivery and sector reform.

“Greater levels of financing are being devoted to the water resources sector, as well as increased cooperation with sub-national governments, who equally have a lot of responsibility in ensuring that the populace benefit from these infrastructure projects. We call on the state governments to take full advantage of the water supply and irrigation projects completed by the Federal Government, for the benefit of their communities and farmers respectively”, the statement read.