Mr Aminu Diko, the Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), said on Wednesday that the Federal Government needed N3.1 trillion to bridge the infrastructure gap in the transportation sector alone.

Diko made this known at the two-day capacity building programme on Public-Private Partnership organised for members of staff of the Ministry of Transportation.

Diko, who was represented by ICRC’s Director, Support Service Department, Mr Mohammed Bamali, said the training was to prepare the members of staff for projects billed for concessioning in the ministry.

“In the next five years, just transport alone will require at least 11 billion dollars and another five billion dollars is required in aviation to bridge infrastructure gap.

“This is a large sum of money that government obviously does not have. So, we are left to look at other sources, and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) is one of those sources.

“If you look at the airports in the country, they need improvement and this can be done through PPP. Whether it is operating and managing them or expanding them.

“Also, we have been struggling to do a second run way at Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, and this is something that the private sector can do without all the bottlenecks that traditional procurement can bring.”

Diko also said that the ports in Lekki, Badagry and Ibaka were also billed to be concessioned, noting that the process would transform commerce and industries in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal Government plans to undertake the rehabilitation and construction of 31 major road projects this year.

It also plans to restore degraded sections of the federal highways network to establish connectivity over a distance of 2,193 kms through PPP.

Also, the Federal Government will explore the option of concessioning the four major airports in the country -- Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

Diko urged the staff members to take the workshop seriously as it would guide them through the complexities of PPP. (NAN)

•Photo shows ICRC DG, Aminu Diko.