Adeyoye: Annual Infrastructure Budget About 10% of National Requirement

Bennett Oghifo

The average annual budget on infrastructure in Nigeria is about 10 per cent of national requirement, with approximately $3 trillion required to close the infrastructure gap over the next 30 years.

Engr (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated this while discussing “the Impact of Infrastructure Collapse on Nigeria: How Professionals can Salvage the Situation”, at the 2022 Engr. Dr T.M. Olatunji Distinguished Annual Lecture, organised recently by the Nigerian Society of Engineers Ikeja branch.

Adeyoye described as apt and interesting the theme for this year’s lecture ‘The role of Professionalism in the prevention of infrastructure collapse in Nigeria – A call to action’. 

According to her, “Recent data puts Nigeria’s infrastructure stock at 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) compared with 70 per cent which is the international benchmark. We cannot therefore as a nation afford continued Infrastructure collapse when there is a huge deficit. 

It is instructive that Infrastructure must be sustained if it is to benefit coming generations and its provision must be seen as an investment that will pay off many times over in the future. 

The prevention of infrastructure collapse as prevalent in Nigeria and other developing nations is therefore a matter to be looked at critically. The construction industry responsible for these infrastructure also accounts for a major proportion of the GDP of Nigeria. 

“Therefore seeking to improve the efficiency of the industry is very essential in promoting the growth of the Nigerian economy. Infrastructure collapse occurs when the structure is no longer serviceable and unable to perform optimally the purpose for which the structure has been designed. This development portrays a bad image for the construction industry and professionals saddled with this responsibility as huge resources, time and labour are wasted and the citizens are made to face the resulting hardship brought about by the infrastructure collapse. 

She said there are several factors that could lead to infrastructure collapse varying from design error, wrong or non adherence to specifications, lack of quality control and quality assurance, little or no maintenance strategy in place, local and environmental conditions and abuse. It is important for professionalism to be exhibited in all stages of the infrastructure project cycle right from concept to planning to design to construction and maintenance stages. 

“Professionalism is key to ensuring sustainability of infrastructure and professionals are therefore expected to exhibit a high level of professionalism by adhering to their professional ethics when discharging their duties. We have seen the collapse of new and existing infrastructure across the country because we are lacking from point of design to periodic assessment and maintenance. 

“To curb incessant infrastructure collapse, using road infrastructure as reference, we in Lagos State Government from the planning stage of our road projects have adopted measures to curb their early deterioration Such measures include giving quality control and quality assurance high priority in our execution of road projects. Public Works Corporation for instance has an ISO certified laboratory that tests and ensures that all construction materials specifications are strictly adhered to in production and execution, and this explains the high premium asphalt being turned out by the agency for their construction and rehabilitation works. Adequate provision is constantly made in the BEME for contracts to ensure the contractors test all materials being used at every stage of construction. We have also improved on our road specifications to ensure they last longer by enforcing use of interlocking stones of 45 MPA crushing strength. 

“This became necessary as our roads are often subjected to varying axial wheel loads without control. The nuisances and habits of our people are also factored in providing open drains to facilitate easy clearing when they are blocked to save the pavement. Longitudinal and Transverse ducts are also provided at intervals to discourage indiscriminate road cutting and early pavement failure. We also Know that is not enough to design Traffic management systems and that Drainage systems are also key to preventing infrastructure collapse. The crux of the matter is the professionalism we bring to bear in enduring sustainability.”

She noted that the newly introduced Executive Order 11 on maintenance now in place was another good development, stating that “The professionals have a lot of stake in curbing infrastructure collapse in the country so also are the three tiers of Government (Local, State and Federal) and government regulatory organs. In my Opinion, the actions that can be taken by Government, as well as professionals to curb infrastructure collapse include but not limited to the following: For the Government, Quality Control and Quality Assurance must be given top priority in provision of infrastructure from planning to maintenance stages; Strict Adherence to robust specifications that will also factor the habits and nuisances of the users; Choice of Contractors to handle critical infrastructure; To ramp up integrity tests be it civil engineering or building projects; To ensure effective Public – Private sector collaboration in engaging ISO certified laboratories for necessary engineering tests from the start of the project to finish 

Others are, Ensuring a robust maintenance strategy from day one of having the infrastructure in place; Government and Motoring Public must embrace the need for tolling to provide the much needed resources for all year infrastructure maintenance (Lekki Epe Expressway is a classical example); Successive administrations must imbibe the fact that maintaining infrastructure though is without glamour is equally as important as providing new ones; Maintenance department of every Government Agency responsible for infrastructure must rise to the challenge and work collaboratively with other MDA’s in ensuring all year monitoring to avert failures that could occur before collapse takes place. 

She said for the Professionals: Professional Institutions in Nigeria to give more priority consideration to ethical discourse at technical sessions, public lectures and seminars; NSE and other engineering bodies must take the bull by the horn to constantly expose their members to the State of the Art maintenance strategies to avert infrastructure collapse; Advocacy for Professionals, contractors and government officials to exhibit hallmark of excellence through adherence to ethics, values, competence and integrity; Proffer viable legislation mechanism in Nigeria to deal with unethical practices by strengthening professional institutions to punish erring members; Embrace continuous professional development 

She also urged NSE and regulatory bodies to enforce the use of approved construction designs from certified professionals and also to be involved in the monitoring and supervision from the conceptual stage to maintenance stages; Preemptive measures taken by professional regulatory bodies to supervise activities of their practitioners; Adherence to professional ethics; and the “need to complement government’s efforts to urge beneficiaries and users to buy in and take full ownership of the provided infrastructure as it is key to sustainability.”