Introductory Remarks By The Director, Planning, Research & Statistics, Federal Ministry Of Power, Works & Housing (Works & Housing Sector), Dr. Famous S. Eseduwo At The 24th National Council Meeting On Works At Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State
INTRODUCTION
Let me start by appreciating God all-mighty for making this 24th National Council Meeting on Works, holding here today at the Presidential Lodge Conference Centre, Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, a reality. As the coordinator of the Ministerial Planning/Organizing Committee for this important perennial event, I also joined the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Kebbi State in welcoming you to this week-long meeting with the theme, “Ensuring Value-For-Money in Nigerian Highways Development”.
I wish to also express our sincere gratitude to his Excellency, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, the government and good people of Kebbi state, for providing the enabling environment for this year’s National Council Meeting On Works.
I like to also appreciate our Honourable Minister Of Power, Works & Housing, His Excellency, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, the two Honourable Ministers of State, Power, Works & Housing, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri and Surv. Suleiman Hassan Zarma, mnis, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Bukar, the directors and staff of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing (Works & Housing Sector) for their invaluable support in bringing together this meeting.
The Nigerian highways development problems are numerous and road is a common good that requires a going concern of everybody. As man cannot live without food, almost at the same scale, man cannot live without road, comfortably. We use road every day virtually for everything that keeps us going.
This underscores government’s continuous efforts to fix highways within available resources over the years. The rationale for this national council meeting on works, therefore, is to identify the unsettling challenges in the road sub-sector and come up with implementable strategies towards improving highways development in Nigeria within available financial, human and material resources.
Permit me to refresh our memories that the National Council on Works is the highest policy-making and advocacy organ in the Works Sector and as such, the stakeholders converged every year to deliberate on issues concerning road infrastructure. This is exactly why we are gathered here today. Thus, we are expected to kick-start the technical sessions any moment from now through the thematic group discussion methodology. The thematic groups were thought out of the memoranda received and summarized for this meeting. We have carefully broken down this year’s theme, “Ensuring value-for-money in Nigerian Highways Development” into five thematic areas which the chairman of the 1st technical session will announce to us very soon.
The National Council Meeting on Works, of a fact, is an inclusive approach to highways policy formulation, aimed at providing practical solutions to the existing road infrastructure development challenges in our country. This year’s thinking is to be guided by the perspective of “value-for-money”.
Let me on behalf of the planning/organizing committee sincerely apologize for any initial inconveniences you may have encountered on your arrival to Birnin-Kebbi, relating to issues ranging from hotel accommodation to intra-city transportation. Such challenges are often normal when a large number of persons visit a city for a programme. Nonetheless, please bear with us because it was due to circumstances beyond our control.
I want to assure you that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure the success of this year’s council meeting. As we progress with the meeting, some of the preliminary challenges will sort out themselves. The secretariat is available for any possible assistance 24/5.
Please open your folders and flip through the programme to be acquainted with the sessions we intend to have from today to Thursday as well as the memoranda for the thematic group discussions and possible recommendations.
Once again, I welcome you to the thinking platform of this year’s national council meeting on Works which we are expected to deliberate on the summarized memos today and tomorrow towards making recommendations to the meeting of Permanent Secretaries holding on Wednesday.
Thank you and wishing you productive deliberations.
