By Egena Sunday Ode
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N507 for the completion of section two of Abuja-Zaria-Kano Expressway.
Other approvals for roads construction across the country by the Federal Government at Monday meeting of the FEC included
a contract for the dualization of Odujoani-Itu-Idedem-Ikot Ekpene Road which was awarded at the cost of N55bn; duplication of Ibadan-Ilorin Road, section two, for N147bn and a flyover in Enugu at the cost of 24bn.
Minster of Works, Dave Umahi who disclosed this to newsmen while speaking on the outcomes of the FEC meeting on Monday used the opportunity to clarify what he termed some misconceptions about lopsided contract awards in the Senate.
He said: “And then let me, you know, use one minute to correct, you know, an impression created in the Senate. There was a time we awarded some projects, and we came here to say this were the projects that FEC approved, and a Senator raised a motion in the house, alluding that more projects were approved in the South than in the North.
“Let me correct that impression, because I’m not qualified to write to the Senate President to correct it. But the fact remains that it is the memo that comes to FEC that is approved.
“Sometimes, a memo can be in favour of a particular region or a particular zone, or so and so forth. So our briefing here should not be taken as if we are bringing projects in an equitably form. You know, a project may go to BPP and they are processing it is but is not…like today, We have a total of N507 billion, and that is for Abuja-Kano section. And of course, in my own zone, we have only N24 billion.
“So if tomorrow you bring something that is big from South East, nobody should start saying…
“So the President is committed to completing all the inherited projects. And in any case, most of the projects we come here to announce are inherited projects, and that the President is continuing. And if you go back to look at the inherited projects, they were not even equitably distributed by the last administration, but the President did not mind he the still continues, all of them.”
