The Federal Government says it has commenced collation of data towards addressing infrastructure imbalance in all the zones of the country, with a view to stemming the tide of restiveness, corruption and poverty.
It also said that the Federal Character Commission (FCC) is looking into data banks and soliciting information from appropriate quarters in a bid to properly establish the spread of basic infrastructural facilities as well as identify and confirm areas of real and perceived lopsidedness.
Dr Shettima Abubakar Abba, the acting Chairman of FCC, disclosed this in Abuja when he led a team from the Commission on a visit to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma.
He explained that the exercise is intended to draw the attention of government to areas where there are genuine lapses as well as suggest measures to address them. This, he said, is to give every segment of the country a genuine sense of belonging.
Abba who told the Minister that his team would require the assistance of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in the course of its assignment, advised Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to deliberately ensure equitable distribution of amenities across states and zones of the country, while considering projects for execution.
He pointed out however, that the exercise was not necessarily to look out for equality, but equity in the distribution and provision of amenities; which is why the Commission is emphasising conscious consideration of every state or zone in the provision of basic infrastructure.
Senator Udoma confirmed the government’s resolve to ensure fairness to all the zones in the provision of infrastructural facilities, recalling that it started with the 2016 Budget where conscious effort was made to spread critical infrastructure across the six political zones.
He told the FCC team that the Federal Government already has in place an infrastructure master plan backed up with a strategic implementation plan to ensure that every state and zone is adequately catered for; pointing out that the thrust of the 2016 budget was on the provision of road and rail infrastructure.
The intension, according to him, is that in the not too distant future, Nigerians should be able to make a choice of moving from one major city to another across the country by road, rail or air.
Udoma said it was an integrated plan that will also provide backbone infrastructure for agriculture and solid mineral development since government has decided on a diversification process to salvage the economy from sole dependence on crude oil which has had a very turbulent regime recently.
He assured that the two establishments will work together in partnership towards an integration process that will usher in peace, progress and prosperity; a development he added will create an enabling environment to kick-start the growth of the economy.