Documenting Buhari’s Infrastructural Legacies

Documenting Buhari’s Infrastructural Legacies

A new book that captures the activities of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is about to hit the literary world and the waiting hands of critics. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

The four-year journey is about end. No doubt, it was full of a variety of experience strong enough to inspire a book. The Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, alongside the two ministers of state in the ministry, Baba Shehuri and Suleiman Hassan, is the key persona in this narrative that recounts those episodes of a government’s effort at fulfilling some of the leading campaign promises made.

In this new piece titled, “Proof of Infrastructure Delivery Across Nigeria: A Three-year Report on the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing’’, there is a conscious effort to document some landmark achievements in the three-tier ministry. This book is set to be launched in Abuja on Monday, April 29.

Certainly, inquisitive readers will expect to read a book that is not self-adulatory. The readers may want to see a true picture of the reality created by the political actors in the sectors that are some of the most directly linked to human survival. Hence, the materials sourced for the content of the book include photographs taken during the inspection tours, contributions from non-governmental sources such as media, eyewitnesses, amongst others. Edited by Hakeem Bello, the book addresses areas of interest of the citizenry including the general concern about the state of the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos.

In one of its compelling chapters titled, “Fixing the Broken Bridges: Deploying Emergency Repairs to keep Road Infrastructure Safe for All’’, the book articulates the list of interventions made by the ministry. Bello writes: “In response to this potentially disastrous situation, the minister, in October 2016, approved a comprehensive plan for repairs and improvement of bridges along federal highways across the country. Termed ‘National Bridge Improvement Programme’, the plan is currently being implemented under the subtitles of immediate/short and medium/long terms.’’

In the foreword titled, “Concrete Evidence of Goals, Missions and Achievements”, Former Head of State, Gen. AbdulsalamiAbubakar commended the Buhari administration for giving the three his primary attention, whilst saluting the ministers of state for the statesmanship and sense of responsibility.

He writes: “The book presents a concrete evidence of goals as they are being pursued, missions as they are being actualised and achievements as being recorded.’’

Photographs in the book were taken by award-winning photographer, Lukman Olanipekun, while the General Editor for the book is Theo Ogeziachi.

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