Experts warn FG against sales of public assets

Stakeholders and experts have expressed their disapproval against the proposed sale of public assets by the federal government.

The experts argued that the concession of public infrastructure was ill-timed, advising that emphasis should be placed on maintenance and management of government assets.

The PUNCH had exclusively reported that the FG’s planned sale or concession of the TBS among 25 assets to fund the 2023 budget deficit of N10.7 trillion.

According to them, assets are the foundation that positively impacts immensely on national and local economies.

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The argument was the crux of the discussion at the National Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers National seminar held on Tuesday in Abuja.

The seminar organised by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers was titled “Management and maintenance of public assets for sustainable development in Nigeria”.

Speaking during the conference, the lead speaker, Tina Onokwai, stated that priority must be given to the value of the public assets in order to achieve the purpose for which it was built.

She added that political, economic, fiscal and capacity deficiency are reasons for the continued dilapidated state of assets.

She said, “Infrastructure is one of the cornerstones in the delivery of public services but effective management of infrastructural assets is central to the development and is the centrepiece of every development.

“Public assets maintenance and management is an industry that creates work, adds value, drives growth and contributes to national productivity.”

Speaking further, NIESV president, Johnbull Amayaevbo, urged for collaboration between the institution and other bodies so as to effectively implement executive order 11 as signed by the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

He said, “Nigeria has an issue of maintenance culture, especially in the public sector and that is why the president signed the executive order. But for us to maximise the benefit of that order, all professionals in the built industry must work together.”