FEC approves N960bn contracts for roads, aviation, education, others

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved contracts on roads, aviation, education transportation and others totaling about N960 billion.

The development came following a marathon meeting of the council which started at 11am and was adjourned at about 5.20pm to reconvene again on Thursday.

The outcome of the meeting was communicated to State House correspondents by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and other ministers after the meeting.

Fashola told newsmen that FEC at the meeting approved an increase in the contract of Police Service Commission headquarters in Abuja from its initial cost of N3.486 billion to N3.925 billion.

He said that the variation of N439.113 million made to the contract was to enable the project to be completed in the next six months.

The minister also disclosed that the council approved additional funding for the Nnamdi Azikiwe Mausoleum in Onitsha, Anambra State. The project was initiated by the last administration.

He said, “Council approved the additional funding to complete it from N1.49 billion N1.953 billion.”

According to Fashola, council approved road projects, which included the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Road at the cost of N155.7 billion, Efire-Araromi-Aiyede-Aiyela Road to connect Ondo and Ogun states at a cost of N14.4 billion, while Enugu-Onitsha highway, the Amansia section, got approved variations of the cost of N38.74 billion to enable the contractor to progress with the work.

He said, “Council also approved the awarded part at the Umunya at the cost of N23.4 billion. So if you add that N38.74 billion, which was the cost of the Amansia section, you will get a total approved cost of N62.06 billion.

“This contract was first awarded for N24 billion in 2014 but the scale of work done is, to say the least, appalling.”

The council also approved money for the intervention in education and health care.

The provision of independent power plants to nine universities and one teaching hospital in the first phase of the pilot programme to cover 37 universities, got approval of N38.965 billion.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who was with Fashola, said that the council approved the production and distribution of core textbooks for early education classes 1-3 and for primary 4-6 in public schools nationwide.

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He explained that the Federal Government discovered that there was the need to support the funding of education at the cost of N6.9 billion.

He added that the council approved two vessels for the Eastern Port at the cost of N1.2 billion.

The award of contract for direct procurement, installation and commissioning of Wide Area of multilateration for the Gulf of Guinea got approval of N3.9 billion.

There was also an approval for consultancy services for the construction of a new terminal building at Mallam Aminu Kano Airport, Kano.

The minister said there was a plan to complete the payment with N621 million.

Also speaking, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, said the council approved the completion of the Goodluck Jonathan Way with an augmentation of an additional N3.8 billion.

Bello went further to say that infrastructure development of Wasa Resettlement Site got approval of N26 billion.

Water Resources Minister, Suliaman Adamu, on his part said that the council ratified augmentation of funds to complete Adada dam, Igbo-Atiti LGA in Enugu State.

“The project started in 2010. It has been augmented and council approved that the project be completed now at N5.6 billion by the end of 2018.

“Council also approved the augmentation of Phase II Galma Dam and irrigation project in Kaduna and Zaria. The purpose of the dam is to provide water to Zaria and environs.

“The Phase I Dam has already been completed while Phase II involves irrigation and some additional structures. So, there was an augmentation to raise the project to N16.5 billion.

“Council also approved the review of construction fee for the Uguashi-Uku Dam project in Delta State.

“The project is almost 100 per cent completed but because of the extension of time over the years, we have to ratify the need to pay consultants for staying on site to oversee that project. So council approved the sum of N133.6 million,” he said.

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Meanwhile, a statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, after the meeting said that the Federal Government was considering increasing the scope of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to possibly N300 billion.

He said, “This road project comes at a time when the administration has increased the pace of the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and is considering increasing the scope of work on it by, possibly, up to N300bn; the East-West Road, Port Harcourt to Lagos and is pumping money into the realisation of the Second Niger bridge.”

He revealed that Fashola told the council during the meeting on Wednesday that 63 roads were identified in 34 states for construction, repair and rehabilitation.

 

 

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