The Nigerian government has announced its proposed budget of N1.9 trillion ($1.5 billion) for its fiscal expenditure in 2007, to be used to upgrade the country’s dilapidated transport system involving roads, inland waterways and the aviation sector.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Frank Nweke (Jnr), said the Federal Executive Council (FEC), which met in Abuja on Wednesday focused on the 2007 budget which Nigeria’s President Olusegun Obasanjo is scheduled to formally present to the National Assembly next month.
He said the meeting agreed on the new Inter-modal Transport System for the country presented by Dr Abiye Sekibo, the minister of transport, remarking that the new transport system is expected to integrate the various modes of transportation in the country, with a view to establishing a transportation network.
He said much of the capital expenditure in the budget would be channeled towards the development of transport infrastructure in the country such as roads, double track standard gauge rail lines, inland waterways and the aviation sector.
He listed some of the specific areas to include the East-West road from Warri to Kiama, passing through six Niger Delta states and dualisation of the Kano-Maiduguri highway and that of Abuja-Lokoja road.
The information minister also added that inland waterways will receive attention as the idea is to evolve an inter-modal transport system which will also involve the construction of standard guage rail track from Lagos to Minna via Kaduna and Abuja , the first phase of which will gulp N8.3 billion ($64.7 million).
“The FEC resolved to have the budget focus primarily on infrastructure development in the country, particularly the transportation sector,” Nweke said, adding that essentially, “the council spent most of the one hour it met debating the matter of public infrastructure, especially transportation infrastructure.”
Nweke promised to unveil plans drawn up for the aviation sector next week, even as he stated that the intention is to come up with a transportation infrastructure, which will improve socio-economic activities and ease transportation difficulties that Nigerians face.
He explained that the decisions and efforts are a re-affirmation of the president�s commitment to Nigerians, when he was sworn in 1999, that he would pay attention to these major highways and indeed transportation infrastructure.
The council also approved the construction of a head office complex for the National Population Commission (NPC) at a cost of N2.3 billion ($17.9 million).