Government urged to spend six per cent of national GDP on infrastructure

To address the national’s infrastructure challenge, civil engineers have urged the Federal Government to spend six per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on Infrastructure.

Speaking at a dinner organised by the Nigerian Institution Of Civil Engineers in Osogbo, they lamented the dearth of infrastructure in the country, stressing that it was slowing down investments and could affect the much-touted government’s diversification agenda.

Leading the call, at the event, a former Deputy Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University, Prof Olugbenga Aribisala said the current effort of government to diversify the economy would remain a mirage without infrastructure.

Aribisala, who spoke on the theme: “Infrastructural Development: An Index For National Development”, stressed the need for more investments on infrastructure to ensure that the dream of the founding fathers are actualized.

According to him, Osun State Government has shown an example of government funding for infrastructural projects. I want to state here unequivocally that Osun State has exceeded the figure recommended for infrastructure development.”

At the event, which also witnessed the presentation of an award of Grand Achiever Of Infrastructural Development to Osun state governor, the engineers acknowledged efforts of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in giving Osun the needed infrastructural facelift for economic growth.

They said his performance in the realm of ground breaking infrastructural facilities across the state has exceeded the Global Standard for GDP-to-Infrastructure Ratio with the several completed and ongoing infrastructural projects in the state.

Also, the National Chairman of the association, Andem Ekpo-Bassey, commended the level of infrastructure development in the state.

“From what I saw today, it is very impressive to me. There are some projects that are recreational projects, there are some projects, which are political projects but there are some projects that are human driven projects. These are the kinds of projects that your Governor has really done.”

“As an institution revolving in policy and recommendations, we can rightly confirm that seven years of his government in the state has
been numerous number of big civil engineering projects across the State of Osun,” he added.