The Federal Government has inaugurated three committees to fast track the implementation of the Highway Development Management Initiative.

Mr Uchenna Orji, Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

The three committees set up by the minister for the actualisation of the programme are scoping and design, financial due diligence and agreement review.

The HDMI is a Public Private Partnership arrangement in the construction, operations and maintenance of highways.

It is designed that the emergent concessionaires will recoup their investments through toll and non- toll revenues as may be negotiated.

During the inauguration, Mr Umahi harped on the need for the committees to work effectively and concertedly bearing in mind the expectations of Nigerians, in terms of transparency, standard and efficiency in contract negotiations.

He noted that contracts with some concessionaires had been consummated, but that the current economic dynamics and the new policy direction of the present administration would require a review of the scope of work and cost implication.

He charged the concessionaires to abide by the criteria set and the timeline for the projects.

“We own the design, you will own the cost of the project while we carry out verification on the cost of the projects; the idea is to scope the projects. We want to have a standard road infrastructure to toll.

“Our business is to ensure that your design conforms with the ministry’s standard of design, that is why we are making the director of roads and bridges of the ministry to be the chairman of the committee on scoping and design. We do not want to do just a patch on the road and give it to the public for you to toll. The public will resist. We want to have a standard road to toll,” he said.

Mr Umahi also told the committees that alternative routes must be provided before the tolling of the road.

He said, “We have to provide alternative road because by law you cannot toll a road if there is no alternative route to it. It is important that every project must have an alternative route. The number of toll gates and toll stations will be determined by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission. We also have to put CCTV cameras, solar lights and security on our roads. Whatever will make our roads safer is important to us. All these must be considered as part of the business.”

While constituting the Due Diligence Committee, the minister said: “We must have a figure to begin to work with under Due Diligence Committee; we want to hand over all these sites to people who are serious by the end of March 2024. Enough of these meetings, enough of the bureaucracy.”

He told the concessionaires of the consequence of not meeting up with the rules of engagement.

He said, “I must say that in case timelines were set and any company cannot meet with the timelines, we may not continue processing anything with such a company. In all our biddings in 2024 going forward, every cost element must be disaggregated. The procurement law has set up profit for the contractors. We will verify the cost in respect of concessionaires.

“We have to ensure that the cost you are putting will do the job. We don’t want you to engage and come back and say there is inflation after being engaged on the project. We have to ensure that concessionaires have all what it takes to do the job.

“The ministry and concessionaires must ensure that they are on the same page so that the citizens will not suffer. Patriotism demands that we must not allow citizens to suffer. We have to be realistic and honest. We do not have all the money as government to do these jobs.”

The minister however, expressed happiness for the progress made by nine concessionaires in finalising their designs and documentation to achieve a financial close by the first quarter of 2024.

He charged them to diligently work with the ministry’s committees for the final processes.

(NAN)