Federal Government Moves On Concession Of Nigeria Railway

Nigeria Federal Government has taken a step towards the concessioning of the eastern and western lines of the Nigeria Railways, with the inauguration by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday, of a Steering Committee to get the job done promptly.

The committee, headed by the minister of Transport, Chief Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has been described as a means to fast-track the transformation of the railway infrastructure in the country.

Inaugurating the committee, Vice President Osinbajo, said that the purpose of the committee is to create a one-stop shop for the concession, fast track the process and beat the redtape & bureaucratic bottlenecks.

He said that the steering committee on the concession of the nation’s railway headed by the Transportation Minister, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, should be innovative, urging the members to remove whatever obstacles that stand in the way of a smooth concessioning process, hoping that the committee will meet its deadlines and end up “to be an example of how it should be done.”

He quarreled with the usual bureacratic bottlenecks in the public service delivery system, which he said the Buhari administration is determined to overcome it.

“I think this steering committee is extremely important, because we have tried to bring together everybody that should be involved in this (concessioning) project in order to see to it that we deliver quickly and efficiently in a manner that justifies Federal Government’s expense in the project.

“The whole idea of the steering committee raises the issue we are trying to address, to have a one-stop shop for all approvals, objections or problems so that we can realize our target.”

Minister of Transport said after the inauguration that the committee would ensure that the concession of the nation’s railway is made easy, assuring that the committee will submit its report within six months.

The 20-Member Committee is composed of officials and individuals from relevant public and private sector agencies & firms.

The Terms of Reference for the committee are as follows:

–         To advise the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) on policy issues that impact on stakeholders interest;

–         To advise the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on efforts at improving stakeholders relations;

–         To advise BPE and Federal Ministry of Transportation on planning, coordination and implementation of Nigeria Railway Corporation;

–         To review existing legislations, reports, studies and any other relevant information on the railway sector and provide guidance on policy issues;

–         To review economic and financial viability of the project and recommend the level of Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) investment;

–         To review the concession framework developed by the Project Delivery Team;

–         To review the technical, financial and legal framework for the successful preparation and concession of the project;

–         To review the activities of the Project Delivery Team that would facilitate the concession, guide the project delivery team in the concession process, assist the concessionaire to obtain all clearances, approvals and permit as may be necessary;

–         To assist in organisation of workshops, and public awareness campaigns on the concession process;

–         To brief the NCP and Federal Executive Council (FEC) from time to time on the activities of the Steering Committee; and to carry out any other function that will facilitate the delivery. [myad