FEC okays N33 billion for Bida-Lapai-Lambata road

…approves N6 billion for aviation equipments

By Lawrence Olaoye

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday approved the sum of N33 billion for the construction of the Bida-Lapai-Lambata road.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba Shauri, at the end of FEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He was with the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazzau, Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Permanent Secretary, Ecological Fund Office, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Habiba Lawal and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
According to him, the Bida-Lapai-Lambata road in Niger State is a very important road linking South West to the Northern part of the country.
He said “The road is about 123.9 kilometers. It costs N33 billion. It is the second road that connects South West to the North.”
He also disclosed that FEC approved N224 million for extension of consultancy service for 215 megawatts power plant in Kudendan in Kaduna State.
The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, also disclosed that the Council approved N6 billion for aviation equipment from two memos presented to the Council.
He said N2.588 billion was approved for Aerotical Information System (AIS) that will give accuracy information including weather information to pilots and aviators.
To provide Instrument Landing System (ILS) in the country against harsh weather conditions, he said that the Council approved N1.188 billion to upgrade the airports in Lagos and Abuja to category three.
According to him, N1.175 billion was approved to upgrade airports in Akure and Benin to category two.
The contracts, he said, has completion period of 20 weeks Lawal disclosed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), comprising seven agencies, presented a report of its scorecard on projects implemented since May 2015 to December 2017.
She said that the agencies, which included the Ecological Fund office, the Cabinet Affairs office, the Federal Road Safety Commission, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, National Pensions Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, National Population Commission, undertook 94 projects during the period.
Out of the 94 projects, she said 30 were brought to the Council for approval while the remaining were done at the ministerial threshold.
Sixteen of the 30 projects approved by the Council, she said, have been completed; eight between 70 and 90 percent while about four of the projects are between 40 and 50 percent completion.
According to her, 55 of the 64 projects taken at the ministerial threshold have been 100 percent completed and the remaining 9 projects still ongoing.
Giving summary of all the FEC approved projects and those approved at the ministry level, she said that a total of 71 projects have been completed while 23 projects are still ongoing.
She said that the N54 billion projects cover 32 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).