Mr Toyin Ayinde, 2nd National Vice-President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), has identified re-engineering of the nation’s mindset, leadership and recruitment processes as a solution to dearth of infrastructural development.
Ayinde made the observation on Wednesday at the Dr Tunde Olatunji’s Distinguished Annual Public Lecture in Lagos.
The lecture had the topic: “Re-engineering: A Solution To Nigeria’s Infrastructure Challenge”.
He said that dearth of infrastructure development required an urgent restructure of Nigerians’ mindset and culture toward proper infrastructure development and maintenance.
Ayinde, the guest speaker at the lecture, said that infrastructure development in Nigeria suffered capital flight, capital sink and capital stagnation due corruption in the administrative system.
According to him, a lot of materials and managerial services are procured outside the country.
He added that the contract processes were full of loop-holes that allowed fund leakages.
“In some cases, projects are over-designed to increase professional fees which are percentages of the contract sum,” he said.
The guest speaker noted that the internet of things was, however, changing economic and social transactions.
“The nation needs re-engineering of its mindset, leadership and recruitment process. There is also need for re-engineering of the way we live and do things.
“Corruption in Nigeria is very high and unbearable for effective infrastructure development.
“The Bureau of Public Procurement, the Independent Corrupt Practice Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have not been able tackle corruption in Nigeria.
“In whatever way one looks at it, engineering remained the connecting umbilical cord to confronting the infrastructure challenge and achieving sustainability in Nigerian human settlement,’’ Ayinde said.
In her remarks, Mrs Aishetu Umar, National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), said that availability of adequate long-term funding was vital to stimulate infrastructure development and growth of the construction industry.
She said that lack of access to long-term funding was hindrance to effective operation of construction industry that could stimulate infrastructure development.
“Funding has been a major hindrance to development of capital projects.
“For Nigeria to stimulate growth of infrastructure, a pool of funds must be made available,” she said.
Earlier, Mrs Lola Adetona, the state Chairman of NICE, said that the lecture was aimed at addressing critical economic issues that hindered the nation’s infrastructure development and proffering solutions to aid the nation’s economic growth.
