From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, approved over N82 billion for the completion of infrastructure projects within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the meeting saying the contracts also included the rehabilitation of the Federal Secretariat, Abuja.
“I presented six memos and all have to do with infrastructure related projects. The first one is for the revision of the contracts for the rehabilitation and expansion of the outer Southern Express Way to Ring Road I in the FCT. That contract was approved at a varied contract amount of N15, 125, 122, 967. It is expected to be completed within 24 months.
“The second project, is for the revised estimated cost of the contract for the construction of a 15-kilometre left hand service carriage way of the outer service of the outer Southern Express Way stage II. The augmentation of this particular project is in the sum of N11, 476, 476, 424, 350.
“The third is for the rehabilitation of phase I of the Federal Secretariat, which involves electro-mechanical systems, water systems as well as other general rehabilitation. This is a secretariat that was inaugurated in 1993, quite a long time ago, so we are doing massive rehabilitation of that at a sum of N8, 110, 665, 676 and the completion period is 24 months.”
The FCT Minister said other projects are for the total overhaul of a 1500 KVA generating plant, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board at the cost of N110 million, an upward review of contract sum for the extension of the inner Southern Express Way at the sum of N47.6 billion and review of the consultancy provision for the independence and constitution avenue in the Central Business District of Abuja at the coat of N131.4 million.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, explained that the FCT contracts were not new.
Mohammed said: “As a matter of fact, three or four of them are revised estimates, some of these projects that were brought today were started even before the administration, but there was a need for us to revise the contract either because new additions were added to it, or due to paucity of funds it was abandoned and taken over. I want you to understand that they are not new contracts. The only new contract is the rehabilitation of the federal secretariat complex.”
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, said council approved the sum of N922.8million for the purchase of fertilisers to assist states affected by insurgency and the 2018 flood disaster.
She said the benefiting states, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, would receive liquid brands of NPK fertiliser, as assistance to farmers.
