Omisore proffers solution to infrastructure deficit

Public Private Partnership, PPP, as been described as the best model in providing infrastructure for the public.
The former Chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Iyiola Omisore, observed this at the 10th Roundtable organised by the Staff Club of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun state.
Omisore, opined that PPP was to provide infrastructure or services required by the general public, as quickly as possible and in the most efficient manner.
Speaking on “Public Private Partnership: Solution to the Infrastructure Deficit in Nigeria”, the former Deputy Governor of Osun state, attributed insufficient knowledge of the nature of PPP to the perception that the scheme is meant for revenue generation.
According to the former Senator, one of the problem confronting public procurement is the absence of political will on the part of an administration to see through the policies of a previous administration.
His words, “Concessionaries are aware of a negative tendency by a new administration not to honour all the tenets of an arrangement by a departed administration, they are often inclined to speed up the commissioning of projects before the date of departure of a sitting administration, with avoidable increase in the cost of project.
Omisore, blamed the judicial systems for the delays in PPP projects, saying “the slow pace at which the justice delivery system works is also a major impediment to doing business in Nigeria.
He stressed that private participation in infrastructure may be held back, where dispute resolution costs and uncertainties are high, noting that “judicial systems ought to play a major role, but they tend to be cumbersome, slow and expensive.
“The apex bank should make concerted efforts to offer assistance to commercial and industrial banks to enable them offer financial skills required in PPP management”.
In his welcome address, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Prof. Anthony Elujoba, commended Omisore for his contributions to the institution during his tenure as Appropriation Committee Chairman.
Elujoba, urged the senator not to relent in his support and contributions to his alma mata.
The VC also appealed to the old students who were in entourage of Omisore to come back and contribute their own quota to their former university.
“I want to solicit your help in prayer. We must all be spiritually inclined in God. There’s no peace, there is no progress. We need peace to progress,” he added.
Reported by Richard Akintade, Osogbo