By Deji Elumoye
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N62.047 billion for the execution of various contract proposals presented by the ministries of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
FEC at its virtual weekly meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa also observed one- minute silence in honour of former Lagos State governor and ex-Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Works and Housing Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; his FCT counterpart, Mallam Mohammed Bello; and that of Water Resources, Malam Suleiman Adamu, gave details of the approvals and the figures attached to them.
Fashola disclosed that the four memoranda his ministry presented to FEC were approved, including the repairs of Benin-Ore-Ajebamdele Road, particular the section from Ajebamdele to Shagamu.
According to him, the redesigning of the shoulders and pavement provision necessitated a revised estimated total cost of N22.879 billion to take the contract from original sum of N71.6 billion to N92.5 billion while the stretch involved is 99 kilometres from 162 kilometres to 261.
He listed other contracts approved by FEC to include the Akwanga-Keffi-Makurdi highway, an existing contract executed under the China-EXIM loan by China Habour Engineering Construction Company (CHECK), which is a sub-contract within the contract.
These, according to him, include the construction of a nine-way underground cable and telecommunication facility dock over the length of 255 kilometres for the sum of N4.625 billion, and the design and equipping of an automation process for the issuance of certificate of occupancy in respect of federal government lands.
Fashola also said: “Currently, the minister for works and housing has delegated authority for signing certificate of occupancy in a manual form. But we are moving to automation based on this approval; that is, all of these processes can be initiated online, processed online, approved and printed in a digital form and this will provide also business continuity and retrieval in case of any obstruction arising from natural and other unforeseen courses. The contract for all of this was N976,037,330 in Favour of IQ Systems with completion period of 10 months.
“The fourth memo was for the construction of 4×20 meters span bridge at kilometer 18 along Langtang-Wase Road in Plateau State for N2.867 billion to Metropolitan Construction Nigeria Limited.
On his part, Minister of the FCT, Bello, disclosed that all the five memoranda presented before Council by him were approved, including the review of the N19.5 billion Southern Parkway project.
He listed the approved contracts to include award of contract for the provision of access road to open up sections of Institute and Research District, Abuja Housing National Defense College, Legislative Institute at the cost of N3,462,440,823.88 and eight months completion period; approval for the award of contract for the construction of access road and car park for Abuja Light rail stations, Kagini Station at the cost of N1,830,392,696.00, to be completed in 12 months.
In his briefing, Water Resources Minister, Adamu, said his ministry also presented two contract memos, which were approved by FEC.
He said: “The first one is the Fika-Gadaka Water Project in Yobe State. This project which started in 2003 was abandoned in 2007 at 30 per cent completion.
“The second memo is the revision of the consultancy contract for the supervision of Gere Earth Dam In Katsina. This also is an inherited ongoing project. Council in 2018 approved the revised estimated total cost for the project towards its completion and so it also makes since that the consultants supervising the projects their services should also be extended.
“Council approved the extension of consultancy services of Messers Emplan Group by another 36 months also with augmentation of N310 million in terms of consultancy fees”.
