Daily Independent (Lagos)
Adetutu Folasade-Koyi
13 November 2008
Kano — A second bridge on the River Niger in Onitsha will cost N105 billion, which has been factored into the 2009 budget, it emerged on Wednesday.
The lower River Niger will also be dredged.
Besides, the Federal Government plans to devote 91 per cent of capital expenditure of more than N1.3 trillion to power generation and transmission, road construction, and healthcare.
Bright Okogu, Director General of the Budget Office, disclosed the proposals at the 2008 Senate retreat in Kano.
He said 46 per cent of the capital vote will be spent on infrastructure development.
Other priority areas include:
*Power (11.9 per cent), with investment of N365 billion in generation and transmission.
*Petroleum resources (four per cent), with investment of about N193 billion in gas pipeline projects to support the power initiative.
*Works (16.2 per cent), with investment of about N105 billion in highways rehabilitation and construction, and construction of the second Niger Bridge.
*Transport (4.6 per cent), with investment of N21 billion in rail lines, modernisation of locomotives, rehabilitation of tracks, cranes, and other equipment.
The balance 9.3 per cent is for other key infrastructure.
"To support the power initiative, the government has increased investment in petroleum resources gas' projects," Okogu stressed.
"Investments in gas pipeline projects include: national domestic gas; Trans-Sahara gas pipeline; Calabar-Umahia-Ajaokuta gas pipeline; Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kano gas pipeline, and gas supply pipeline to PHCN Delta IV.
"Another phase of strategic investment is in works. Special provisions have been made for access roads to the six NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) refineries and ports; highways rehabilitation and construction; highways planning and designs; construction of the second Niger Bridge in Onitsha using the PPP (public, private sector partnership); Presidential initiative on road projects, including Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja.
"Other road projects in all the six geopolitical zones in next year's budget include Lafia-Akwanga, Gombe-Numan-Yola, Hadejia-Nguru, Onitsha-Enugu, Yenegwe-Kolo, Akungba-Ikare-Omuo-Kabba, etc."
The third phase of the strategic investment planned for next year is the completion of the Ajaokuta-Warri line to Delta Steel jetty.
Other transport investments include the modernisation of locomotives, coaches and wagons, rehabilitation of tracks, stations, bridges, signals and culverts, procurement of tools, cranes, and other railway equipment.
Dredging the lower River Niger is listed as priority.
Okogu also noted that "greater emphasis is laid on clearly defined and measurable deliverables expected from the MDAs (ministries, departments and agencies), key of which include a directive given to the NNPC to deliver 1.2 billion scf of gas to guarantee a minimum 6,000 megawatts (mw) of power in 2009."
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