By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Worried by the cases of vandalisation of government critical infrastructures, the minister of information, Lai Mohammed in June 7th, 2021, summoned stakeholders to a town hall meeting to jaw jaw on ways to address the challenges posed by vandals across the country.
Particularly, the minister was worried about how railway tracks were being subjected to wanton destruction and how bridge railings were being removed.
Other infrastructures targeted by the vandals are; manhole covers, streetlights and critical aviation infrastructure.
The Town Hall Meeting was the first of a 3-part series that will address vandalisation of public infrastructure across the country.
Speaking at the 19th edition of Town Hall Meeting on Protecting Public Infrastructures in Abuja, the minister said it was meant to create in the public mind that government property are
indeed citizens’ property and must be protected for the benefit of all.
“It was also to sensitize communities, especially those where infrastructure are located, to be conscious of the import of such and protect them.
“The meeting will expose, arrest and prosecute all those who engage in buying pilfered infrastructure items along with those who bring such to them to sell.
“It will be used to sensitize the larger citizenry to support the widespread campaign on the protection and ownership of public infrastructure/assets especially in the Railways, Roads and Aviation sectors.”
He stated that the issue of destroying public assets has touched the very core of economic growth and national development.
He said when public infrastructure is being targeted for destruction by some unpatriotic Nigerians, it calls for great concern and immediate action.
“Such unpatriotic acts take a toll on the government’s limited revenue, as it seeks to replace, rehabilitate or totally reconstruct such destroyed infrastructure.”
Speaking on the protection of public infrastructure, he said the federal government will do everything in it power to stop the vandalization of public infrastructure and facility’s across the country.
“Removal of rail tracks can cause train derailment, with deadly consequences. Tampering with aviation infrastructure endangers the lives of air passengers.
“Attacks on police stations have left many police personnel dead among many others. These are all acts of terror.
“On another level is the incessant attacks on critical public facilities such as police stations and INEC offices. As a matter of fact, the destruction of public infrastructure and facilities is not just vandalism, it is a form of terrorism”.
“Exposing,arresting and prosecuting all those who engage in buying pilfered infrastructure items along with those who bring such to them to sell has become very necessary”,he stated .
Similarly, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the Buhari administration has focused on the provision, renewal and upgrade of infrastructure across the country as a driver for economic growth and Development.
“Government has invested heavily in the construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads,bridges and buildings which has resulted in the improvement in the quality of lives of the citizens in areas such as improved travel time and job creation.
“However, this effort of the government is recently being undermined by some citizens and residents who engage in the abuse and destruction of public infrastructure that cost the country huge sums of money to provide.
“Also, over N3.8 billion is being used to repair four bridges damaged by vandals and petrol-laden tankers.”
He explained that N203 million was being used to repair the Otedola bridge in Lagos State, which was damaged by fire caused by a petrol laden tanker.
According to him, the Kara bridge damaged by fire from a petrol-laden tanker was being repaired with N605 million, while the Tamburawa bridge in Kano State, which was damaged by illegal mining activities, was also being repaired with N1.8 billion.
Fashola also disclosed that,over N200 million contracts had been awarded for the repair of the airport link bridge in Lagos also destroyed by a petrol laden tanker.
Besides the four bridges, the minister said that N813.5 million was being used for the reconstruction of three bridges damaged by insurgents in Borno and Gombe states.
Fashola said the damages are regrettable because they are consuming the limited resources that could have been used to tackle other nagging issues facing the
nation.
He noted that, “no nation grows beyond the capacity of its infrastructure’’ and the country must optimise the little it has.
“You see, what this does is that it affects everybody in a very negative way and the other point to make is that all of these damages to public property are actually killing all of us.
“All of these monies that we are spending could have been put to other uses.
“They could have bought drugs, they could have done so many other things instead of going to repeat or rebuild what we have already built,’’ he said.
The minister underscored the need to strengthen the laws prescribing sanctions, ranging from penalties, fines to terms of imprisonment upon conviction for the offences.
He said that since the laws were already in existence, there was no need for new ones but to upgrade the existing ones in tune with current realities.
Vandalization of manhole covers, rails,roads, street light among many others are part of the challenges the territory is facing said the minister of Federal Capital Territory,Muhammed Bello.
He said 400 manholes have been destroyed thereby creating room for erosion and flooding in the city center.
“About 25,000 manhole covers are needed inside FCT for the replacement of those property that have been destroyed by vandals.
“This money could have been channeled to other sources, such as health, education and other sectors for our benefits”.
He said ”criminality grows in a modular form” and as such needs to be dealt with on time.
Bello stressed on the need to engage the judiciary to enforce more strict laws on vandalization.
Also, speaking, The Ministers of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, and Aviation,Sen. Hadi Sirika, revealed the negative impact on how vandalization of public assets has effectively the sector deeply.
The two ministers explained that such attitude have endangered human lives greatly.
They expressed concerns on how vandalization is costing government huge sum of money to address destruction of public properties.
”There must be review Of the existing laws”.
Stakeholders presented ways on how to government can overcome the lingering Problem of vandalization.
They suggested that stiffer laws against such crimes should be passed by the National Assembly.
Traditional Rulers should be involved in the security of public properties, State governments should be made to partake in securing federal government projects within their domain.
Security agents should be encouraged to be more vigilant and massive sensitization of the general public in different local languages should be carried out to engage the citizens in the ownership and protection of government properties.
Meanwhile, the Town Hall Meeting will hold in Calabar, Cross River State, to address pipeline vandalisation while another one will be held in Maiduguri, Borno State, to address vandalisation of power and telecommunication infrastructure.
