The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), on Wednesday approved the sum of N311.47 billion for the completion of some ongoing road projects across the country.
Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who briefed State House correspondents after the Council meeting, listed the contracts to benefit from the approval to include roads linking the second Niger Bridge both from the Asaba and Onitsha ends.
The bridge, which is currently under construction, is believed to be about 50 per cent completion stage.
The previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan had awarded the entire project at a cost of N210billion in 2014 and it was scheduled to be concluded by 2022.
Fashola said his ministry presented three memoranda and they were approved by the council: construction of Ibadan -Ile-Ife Dual Carriage Way at the cost of N79.829 billion.
He said the link roads connecting the Second Niger Bridge, both from the Asaba and Onitsha ends, was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited at the cost of N200.176billion, while Kano-Katsina highway linking Gidan Mutum Daya to Katsina Steel Rolling Mill will gulp N29, 654billion.
Other projects, which scaled through FEC’s approval was Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)-funded programme for the construction of two faculties, environment and education at the University of Abuja at the cost of N915million and N918million respectively.
The minister said, “FEC meeting presided over by Vice-President Osinbajo approved the construction of Ibadan -Ilesha-Ife Dual Carriage Way, they are connected to Oyo and State at the cost of N79.829 billion.
“Secondly, for the link-road that connects the second Niger Bridge to Asaba and Onitsha. The Asaba link-road was awarded to Julius Berger and the Onitsha link-road was awarded to Reynolds Construction at the total cost of N200.176 billion. So this completes essentially the access road that will link the bridge in the short time.
“You might recall that these roads were under-design when the bridge was awarded. So, it is this administration that completed the design and we now awarded them so that you can have a bridge that has link-roads.
“This was awarded initially under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and the bridge in 2010.
“The third approval was for phase two of the Kano-Katsina high way from the point known as Gidan-Mutum Daya all the way to where Katsina Steel Rolling Mill is. This is a 78km stretch approved at the sum of N29.654 billion. That road is a 172km road linking Kano and Katsina road from Kano.
“It was a single length highway until it was awarded in 2013 by the previous administration in phase 1. So, we inherited it and we have continued to execute it. The award was to expand the road into a dual carriage highway.
“That means we are constructing the existing one and building another new one. It was awarded for the first 70km plus for the phase 1 we have now done is to complete the award to the same contractor so that there is a uniformity of construction.”
Also, Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba who briefed State House correspondents of approvals for his ministry, said the memorandum approved was in respect of TETFund intervention programme in respect of the University of Abuja.
He explained that a key component of that was the award of contract at the sum of N950 million for the construction of the Faculty of Environment.
According to him, another contract was also approved for the sum of N918 million for the award to build the Faculty of Education.
“Those are the two components arising from the special intervention programme that was awarded then in 2017. So, we have to act to give effect to them so that they can proceed to delivery,” Nwajiuba said.
