FEC okays N59.35b for road, aviation projects

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, has given approval for road and aviation projects nationwide to the tune of N59.350 billion.

The disclosure came from ministers who presented memoranda at the weekly meeting, which held yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fasola, said his memorandum dwelled on two contracts worth N50.858 billion.

According to him, a road project in Kano State, worth N12.157 billion, and another one linking Kaduna and Plateau states, valued at N38.701 billion, were approved by the gathering.

“The Ministry of Works and Housing presented one memorandum for the award of contract for the construction of two roads: the Yakassai-Badume-Damargu-Makinzali Road in Kano, in favour of CCECC for N12.157 billion, and the rehabilitation of the Kaduna-Panbegua-Jos Road, linking Kaduna and Plateau states, in favour of Setraco Nigeria Limited, for N38.701 billion,” he clarified.

His Federal Capital Territory (FCT) counterpart, Mohammed Bello, said FEC approved two contract augmentation for his ministry, both being roads.

“As part of opening up rural areas in the FCT, predominantly agricultural area, the Federal Executive Council has approved the revised estimated total cost/augmentation of the contract for the construction of Yaba-Kpahe Road in Kwali/Abaji area council in the Federal Capital Territory.

“The contract was awarded to Messrs COAN (W.A) Ltd in the sum of N431, 640,286 at the completion period of 12 months. The contract sum increased from N914, 189,200 to N1, 345,829,486.

“Council also approved the revised estimated total cost/augmentation and change in scope of the contract for the construction of one service carriageway of inner northern expressway from Ring Road III to Rind Road IV – Abuja industrial Park,” he added.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, spoke on the submission by his Aviation colleague, Hadi Sirika, totalling N758, 173,556.

According to him, the contracts are for expansion of Maiduguri Airport’s apron and another one for the insurance of 22 other facilities across the federation.

Also, the parley ratified the Nigerian Road Safety Strategy II (NRSS II) designed to reduce road accidents and make travelling safer nationwide.

Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, who made the disclosure, said the initiative was an improvement on the NRSS I, which existed between 2014 and 2018.

Similarly, five ministers, including Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, Information, Mohammed, as well as Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uche Ogah and his Works and Housing counterpart, Abubakar Aliyu, also briefed council on outcomes of their #EndSARS engagements in Plateau, Zamfara, Kwara, Abia and Yobe states.