Town and gown: When Omisore took PPP message to OAU

Former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Dr Iyiola Omisore, was at the 10th Roundtable Discussion of the Staff Club, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he, for the umpteenth time, preached a message that has become quite close to his heart—Public Private Partnership—to government at all tiers and private individuals. MOSES ALAO reports.

THE dearth of infrastructure in the country has become a source of serious concern to well-meaning individuals in the society, with each passing day leaving behind different sordid tales of decadence, neglect and deprivation.

With governments solely saddled with the responsibility of building and managing diverse infrastructures, which have direct bearing on the lives of the people, the end result, for decades, had been the same—tales of sorrow, tears and sometimes, even blood. These are the regular trademarks well-known to Nigerians as a result of the state of public infrastructure in the country, trademarks that have become quite worrisome to the well-informed and greatly burdensome to those on whose shoulder rests the responsibility of building these infrastructures.

But who cares? Who would listen to the words of the wise? Who would believe the report of those who know, that the current poor state of infrastructure is reversible and correctible? Who will heed the warning words of wise and allow a shift in paradigm that will usher in a glorious end? These have been his concerns for quite some time; forming the very core of his unending sermons on infrastructure. Did you ask who?

If you have not had the opportunity of meeting Dr Iyiola Omisore, a former deputy governor in Osun State and two-term senator representing Osun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, you would think all there is to the Ile-Ife-born politician is politics.

If you have once met the man, maybe in his days as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, you might be tempted to conclude that the man, still regarded for his acumen in handling the highly sensitive legislative chair on budget and appropriation between 2007 and 2011, could only be good at lawmaking, budgeting and appropriations. But if you saw Senator Omisore, guest lecturer at the 10th Roundtable Discussion of the Staff Club, Obafemi Awolowo University, speaking on the topic “Private Partnership: Solution to the Infrastructure Deficit in Nigeria,” you would agree that he is a man of many parts.

Actually, the gospel of Public Private Partnership as the best alternative to building, managing and operating infrastructure and the panacea to Nigeria’s headache on infrastructure, has become a passionate subject for Omisore, who holds a Ph.D. in Infrastructure Finance with specialty in Public Private Partnership from the International School of Management, Paris, France.

This passion must have been the reason he was invited by the revered staff of the prestigious university to do justice to a topic that has become so important to the progress of the country that government must begin to look at it critically, if there is to be a positive change in the nation’s infrastructure.

Speaking at the discussion, which was chaired by the former Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of JAMB, Emeritus Professor Dibu Ojerinde, Dr Omisore maintained that public-private partnership as an alternative to infrastructural development “is not a tea party but a real work that gives values for money,” saying that PPP, though seen as novel and new, had come on stream in the last 20 years.

“The idea, historically, has not been absent, since government, as authorities of states, has had to procure utilities for the people, hundreds of years, since. The reality is that the private sector has always been involved whenever it has become necessary for government, or their agencies to provide public services for their people. With this, the arrangement prevalent in most societies is the design and finance by (Government), build and deliver by (Private Contractor) and manage by (Government),” Omisore stated, explaining the PPP concept with such ease and expertise that drew applauses from varsity dons and students alike.

For the senator, a trained and certified Engineer, not only had the infrastructure financing model of government designing and financing infrastructure, while private contractors build and deliver to government, which would be left to managing and maintain, become outdated and obsolete, it had been the bane of infrastructure development in the country.

Explaining that for PPP to be effective; there must be transparency and trust, he maintained that “once there is trust on the part of leadership with human face policies; the masses would key into the concept. But, once there is shortage of fund; it will lead to infrastructure deficit, because finance is a major tool of PPP.”

Omisore highlighted that one of the fears affecting PPP operation had always been about the huge cost of PPP, especially with cost of materials skyrocketing daily. He stated that projects are expected to be executed according to designs and specifications or else, it may not last and the investors loses his money whether it is through BOT: Build- Operate-Transfer; BRT: Build-Rent-Transfer; BTO: Build- Transfer- Operate; DBFO: Design- Build-Finance-Operate; Concessioning; EPC Engineering-Procurement- Construction; Franchise; Lease/Maintain; ROT: Rehabilitate-Operate- Transfer. He, however, allayed this fear, saying: “My emphasis always is to ensure that good jobs are done, because it will always draw another and local content should always be paramount.”

The former lawmaker also had strong words for the current crop of leaders, pointing to how the country entered into the current economic dire strait because it allowed itself to remain an importing economy, warning that this would not allow for growth.

He stressed that with PPP, not only would the economy be rejuvenated, more infrastructures will be built at a faster pace than they were under government’s sole control and management.

In the course of the discussion, the Senator, who spoke with ebullience, revealed that beyond the discourse on PPP, he his return to OAU feels like he only returned ‘home,’ where he could feel good among his brethren and in his constituency, recalling how as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, he visited the university to inspect abandoned projects and worked assiduously towards seeing to it that they were completed.

While OAU was not the only federal institution that benefitted from Omisore’s foresight as the chairman of the committee, with the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Teaching Hospitals and several others all directly benefitting from his service to nation, the Senator recalled with nostalgia how he told the then Vice Chancellor of the university and Chief Medical Director of the OAUTH that, instead of starting new projects, “let’s us complete the abandoned projects on ground.”

“To the glory of God, I appropriated about N4 billion to the two institutions. I facilitated all the projects in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Phase Four,” he said, as the audience gave veracity to his words with thunderous claps.

For an event of such magnitude, where the Staff Club of the university, comprising foremost scholars and highly respected individuals, it was clear from the start that it would be an event of class with only the prestigious in attendance. This must have informed the choice of the Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as the Royal Father of the Day. Represented by Oba Mayowa Fayemi, Elerefe of Erefe and Oba Adekunle Adebowale, Agbolu of Agbaje, the royal father gave his blessings to the event.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Staff Club’s President, Dr. Sunday Coker, explained how the discussion had been reserved for only the best and dignified individuals in their fields as discussants, pointing out that the club had invited the like of former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice- Chancellor of the university, Prof. Michael Faborode; Juju maestro, King Sunny Ade and the publisher of the Leadership newspapers, Mr. Sam Nda Isaiah,” among others.

“The roundtable is aimed at bringing distinguished Nigerians into conversation with the university public on topics that will be examined in relation to the Nigerian state and people,” Coker said at the event.

Among dignitaries present at the event were the Acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Anthony Elujoba and some members of the university management as well as a retinue to politicians.

The Senator, who also used the occasion to pay a courtesy visit on the university’s Vice Chancellor as well as interact with a few of the students, told newsmen that the event was more of an home-coming for him, noting that he had always been proud to be associated with the students and staff of OAU, who he described as an excellent institution in an excellent domain, Ile-Ife, the very source of Yoruba civilisation.