By Peace Udugba — The Daily Torch Media
The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appointed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and infrastructure specialist, Dr. Emmanuel Onwodi, as its Chief Operating Officer (COO).
The company said the appointment is aimed at strengthening its executive leadership as it advances the development and management of the Benin-Asaba Expressway corridor.
Onwodi, a chartered accountant and infrastructure finance specialist, brings more than 25 years of professional experience spanning infrastructure development, concession management, project finance, risk management, transport and logistics.
He is a former senior official of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), where he spent about 14 years in senior positions, including director-level responsibilities covering Transport Infrastructure, Planning, Research and Statistics, and Special Projects.
As COO, Onwodi will be responsible for supporting the operational execution of the Benin-Asaba Expressway concession, strengthening project delivery, coordinating stakeholders and helping implement the company’s long-term objectives.
His responsibilities will also include promoting operational efficiency, maintaining the integrity of the concession framework and strengthening collaboration among government institutions, investors, contractors, lenders, host communities and other stakeholders.
The appointment brings to BAECC extensive experience at the intersection of government policy, private capital and major infrastructure development.
Onwodi holds a Ph.D. in Risk Management in Public-Private Partnerships, with research focused on contingent liability risk. He also holds an M.Sc. in Risk Management from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, and a B.A. in International Accounting from the University of Northampton, UK.
He further holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management from the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology, Zaria.
His professional qualifications include Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT).
He is also a Certified Public-Private Partnership Professional (CP3P), Chartered Financial Consultant (CFC) and Chartered Management Consultant (Ch.MC), among other professional memberships and fellowships.
During his career at the ICRC, Onwodi participated in the development, review and implementation of major PPP and infrastructure initiatives covering roads, railways, ports, aviation, energy, real estate and social infrastructure.
His experience includes concession structuring and negotiation, project finance, financial modelling, risk allocation, contingent liabilities and the development of frameworks designed to improve the bankability and long-term sustainability of infrastructure projects.
He also contributed to the Nigerian Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan, the National Infrastructure Financing Policy and guidelines supporting PPP implementation across Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
Onwodi was also part of an inter-agency committee involved in developing Nigeria’s Sukuk bond framework, aimed at creating additional financing options for infrastructure development.
In the transport sector, his experience includes road concessions, national tolling frameworks, railway development, deep-sea ports, dry ports, truck transit parks and aviation infrastructure.
He participated in the negotiation and structuring of the Eastern and Western Railway concessions, valued at more than $2.2 billion, as well as work involving high-speed rail business cases and transaction advisory.
His maritime infrastructure experience includes work relating to frameworks for the Badagry Deep-Sea Port, Ibom Deep-Sea Port and Bakassi Port.
He has also been involved in PPP structuring and financial modelling for aviation and airport infrastructure, independent power projects, hydropower risk allocation and other energy-sector transactions.
His experience extends to urban and social infrastructure, including work relating to the National Theatre concession, Federal Secretariat PPP and infrastructure models in the health and education sectors.
In infrastructure finance, Onwodi has participated in transactions designed to mobilise private capital for public projects, including the structuring of a transaction that attracted more than N41 billion in private investment into a single project.
He also contributed to the development of Direct Negotiation guidelines aimed at reducing transaction timelines and associated costs in infrastructure procurement.
Beyond infrastructure development, Onwodi has been involved in professional education and capacity building.
He currently serves as Director of Programme and Capacity Building for the PPP Practitioners Association of Nigeria (P3PAN) and as Branch Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Abuja.
He has delivered presentations and participated in professional engagements on PPPs, infrastructure finance, transport, risk management and concession development in Nigeria and internationally.
His engagements have included platforms associated with the World Association of Public-Private Partnerships, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and international conferences of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Commenting on his approach to infrastructure development, Onwodi said: “Infrastructure is the bridge between vision and prosperity. Through balanced risk, transparent partnership, and rigorous execution, we turn concession agreements into lasting public value — for generations to come.”
BAECC said Onwodi’s combination of public-sector experience, private infrastructure knowledge, financial expertise and familiarity with complex concession arrangements would support the company’s efforts to deliver the Benin-Asaba Expressway project.
The appointment comes at a significant stage in the development of the corridor, where effective coordination among the concessionaire, government institutions, contractors, financiers, communities and road users remains important to project delivery.
The Benin-Asaba Expressway is being developed under a Public-Private Partnership concession and serves as an important transport corridor linking Edo and Delta states while facilitating the movement of people and goods across southern Nigeria.
The scale and long-term nature of the project require expertise not only in engineering but also in concession management, financing, risk allocation, logistics, stakeholder engagement and operational coordination.
BAECC said these areas align closely with Onwodi’s professional background.
As Chief Operating Officer, he is expected to support timely project delivery, promote compliance with contractual and operational requirements, strengthen stakeholder relationships and contribute to the long-term sustainability of the concession.
The company said the appointment reinforces its commitment to building the professional and technical leadership required to deliver the expressway to the standards expected of a major national infrastructure project.
BAECC added that its immediate priority remains effective execution of the concession and constructive engagement with stakeholders towards delivering a safe, efficient and modern Benin-Asaba Expressway.
