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Privatisation programme unsatisfactory � World Bank
Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja
The World Bank Group on Tuesday scored Nigeria�s four years old privatisation programme as unsatisfactory.
The multilateral financial institution is also dissatisfied with the country�s secondary health system, the HIV/AIDS programme development, and local empowerment and environmental management programmes.
The World Bank report on the Nigeria Operations Portfolio, which was made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, however, rated 11 developmental projects in Nigeria as satisfactory.
The 11 projects include, the Second Primary Education, Community-based Urban Development, Community-based Poverty Reduction, Economic Management Capacity Building, Lagos Urban Transport, Transmission Development, Fadama Irrigation II, Polio Eradication, Small Towns Water and Universal Basic Education and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise.
The group said the country�s privatisation programme had only been able to access $21.59 million (about N2.871 billion) out of the $114.29 million (about N15.2 billion) provided by the group for it.
�Intended credit reallocations will accelerate implementation and full achievement of development objectives such as creating an enabling environment for private sector participation and competition in infrastructure services, notably in telecommunications and electric power.
�Our support is also aimed at ensuring transparent and effective implementation of the Federal Government�s privatisation programme, as a basis for fostering accelerated economic growth, through expanded private investment and improved efficiency in the productive sectors, and in infrastructure,� the bank said.
None of the country�s major enterprises has been sold under the privatisation programme since 1999. Attempts to sell the Nigeria Telecommunications Limited, NICON Hilton Hotel, and the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria failed as the investors that won the bids for them failed to meet payment terms.
The sale of other enterprises like the National Electric Power Authority, Nigeria Railway Corporation, the refineries has remained largely on the pipeline.
On the HIV/AIDS programme development, the World Bank explained that its implementation had been slow while its progress had been limited.
According to it, only the sum of $9.62 million (about N1.279 billion) had been disbursed to the HIV/AIDS programme out of the $90.3 million (about N12 billion) set aside by the bank for it.
The bank stated that its assistance to the programme was aimed at reducing the spread, and mitigating the impact of HIV infection by strengthening its multi-sectoral response to the epidemic.
The bank said it hoped to achieve these through the implementation of a comprehensive programme that includes creation of an enabling environment for a large scale response, and laying the foundation for scaling up HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services at the federal, state and local levels.
The bank blamed the poor performance of the local empowerment and environmental management project and the second health systems development project on the initial implementation difficulties they encountered, which included serious delays in effectiveness.
It disclosed that the $70 million (about N9.31 billion) provided for the local empowerment and environmental management project was yet to be accessed by the government, while only $10.44 million (about N1.388 billion) had been disbursed to the second health systems development out of a total $127 million (about N16.891 billion) provided for it.
Though it rated the Lagos Urban Transport project as satisfactory, the World Bank, however, noted that the development objectives of the project had been affected by difficulties.
According to the bank, the face-off between the Federal Ministry of Works and the Lagos State Government was stalling the project.
�The development objectives are being tackled with difficulties. The Federal Ministry of Works opposes LAMATA carrying out major works on federal roads in the state,� the bank stated.
It disclosed that only $7.23 million had been disbursed to the Lagos Urban Transport project out of the $100 million set aside for it.
The bank explained that the project would facilitate sustainable improvement in the management of the transport sector in the Lagos Metropolitan Area as well as enhance the efficiency of the public transport network.
The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had last Thursday threatened to cancel the $100 million Lagos Urban Transport project if the bickering between the Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, was not stopped.
The bank said the development objectives on the transmission development project were on track, adding that the notable progress included the government�s decision to provide proper guidelines for autonomy, and specific actions to improve the operational and financial performance of the National Electric Power Authority.
The summary of the World Bank�s disbursement to projects in the country indicated that the sum of $163.87 million (about N21.795 billion) had been disbursed for projects between May 11, 2000 and June 15, 2004, out of a total sum of $1.113 billion (about N148.03 billion) set aside for that purpose.
The bank disbursed $36.65 million, $5.32 million, $18.34 million, $12.29 million, $28.7 million, $2.58 million and $500,000 to the second primary education, community-based urban development, community-based poverty reduction, economic management capacity building, polio eradication, small towns water, respectively during the last five years, out of $55 million, $110 million, $60 million, $20 million, $28.7 million, $5 million and $101 million budgeted for the projects.
The PUNCH, June 30, 2004
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