Dr Boniface Aniebonam, chairman board of trustee of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (Nagaff), has  harped on the need for improved infrastructure in the country to foster an environment  healthy for industrial growth and global competitiveness. 
Aniebonam said in an interview recently in Lagos that Nigeria’s growth prospect will be greatly enhanced if basic infrastructure is improved as it will better position the nation to effectively compete even among most industrialised nations of the world.
“I am very much encouraged by what the Lagos State government has been doing despite its limited resources. I am also pleased by some of the steps taken by government to develop infrastructure like the concession of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to a private company to manage. I’m very confident that policies such as these will greatly strengthen the Nigerian economy,” Aniebonam said.
The Nagaff boss who has remarkably improved the fortunes of freight forwarding in Nigeria by establishing a freight forwarding academy, said that in a bid to keep the business running, stake holders in the industry have invested huge funds into the provision of basic infrastructures and that this is often passed down to the consumers who have to pay more for services rendered.
He also maintained that while big multinationals like China shipping and Maersk line can afford to secure some of these costly infrastructural facilities, smaller indigenous companies cannot.
“Most of us in the industry are actually running our operations on generators. We are in a good position to get gas pipeline which will reduce our energy cost but we have to run their operations on diesel, which of course is reflected on the cost of services rendered to importers and manufacturers, and which ultimately reflects in the price that the Nigerian consumer has to pay,” he said.
He added that while government strives to provide infrastructure on one hand, it should ensure there is a level playing field by taking another look at its liberalisation policies, noting that though it is a good idea to try to protect the local industry, using the liberalisation plan, there is a need to apply some caution so that the local industry don’t become complacent and lose its sense of competition.
 “We look at the import of tariffs, which I fully understand is to protect the local industry. But they all will have to be competitive. As a service industry, we would like to drive down the cost of services which we provide and make it  more accessible, “he said.
Boedinger, who disclosed that Nigeria is Africa’s second biggest Unilever market after South Africa, also denied insinuations that the company was planning to move its operations to Ghana, adding that 86 years ago, when it commenced operation in Nigeria Unilever made a deliberate decision to manufacture its products locally. This is in line with its belief that companies should operate in the market where they will like to be found, and where they do business.
Highlighting some of the drawbacks of poor infrastructure, Boedinger said that Nigeria has huge unemployment problem because the manufacturing sector, which is one of the biggest employers, currently operates below capacity. He maintained that with good infrastructure, foreign investors would show more interest in Nigeria, and this will provide avenue for job creation.   
“Unfortunately at the moment, only 46 per cent of GDP is coming from the manufacturing sector. This is the opportunity we all have, as a society, to address and create jobs for Nigerians,” he said.
While commending the Lagos State Governor, Raji Fashola on his palpable achievement in the area of infrastructure, he charged the Federal Government to be more consistent in the application of policies. “I think the regulatory framework is fine, but it is more of a problem of application and implementation of these policies,” he said.
He applauded government’s decision to concession the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to a private company to manage, adding that the way to achieve sustainable development in the provision of infrastructure is to hold people accountable, provide good governance and let people believe in the government and its workings.
Speaking further, he charged Nigerians to be positive and focus more on the opportunities instead of the many problems in the environment.  “It is more of ‘what do we see – opportunities or problems? Even against all odds, if we are committed to growth, and convince ourselves that we have the energy and the willingness to make it happen, we can make it happen,” he said.