Transforming road infrastructure in Nigeria – re-visiting the public private partnership option

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International Journal of Development Research

Transforming road infrastructure in Nigeria – re-visiting the public private partnership option

Abstract: 

All over the world, the demand for critical infrastructures clearly outstripped the supply and most countries are continually tinkering with various measures to address the deficit.  Infrastructural situation in Nigeria especially road network is pathetic. Decades of poor maintenance, underinvestment and outright abandonment by successive regimes have left the country with an outrageous infrastructure deficit. The abysmal infrastructure deficit in Nigeria is, unarguably the direct consequence of leadership failure - successive regimes in Nigeria have failed to take proactive action to march the boom in the country’s population growth over the years with corresponding development in road infrastructure and allied services. Current estimates of Nigeria’s road infrastructure deficits put the figure in excess of $300b (over N40trillion).  Against this background and given the growing shortfall in government revenues as a result of the recent downward swing in oil prices, various governments around the world are shifting part of the burden of providing infrastructures especially road and railway to the private sector in what is now widely known as Public-Private Partnership (PPP).  This paper places analytical spotlight on the philosophy behind this growing trend and strongly recommend a re-invigorated and improved engagement with the private sector by government in PPP options in order to meet the challenge of developing and maintaining road transport infrastructure beyond the means available to government.

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