N86.6b approved for Works, Aviation projects

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved contracts worth N86.6 billion for projects in Works and Housing, as well as Aviation ministries.

Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola (SAN); the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Minister Sadiya Umar Farouk, announced the award of the contracts on Wednesday while addressing State House correspondents after the week’s virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Fashola said the contract for the dualisation of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Road was approved at the cost of N79.649 billion.

The minister said the affected part of the road is the section from Oku Iboku Power Plant to Abak, which is about 26 kilometres long.

“This will help complete the dualisation gaps between the one awarded to Julius Berger and the section awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

“When this is done, motorists in that area will have an option of the dual carriageway, instead of the existing single carriageway,” he said.

When asked to give an update on the 2020 contract award for the same project, Fashola said there had been paucity fund to implement the project.

“…We’re still challenged by resources. What we can mobilise there, when you look at the contract amounts, is about N54 billion. As you rightly pointed out, we have about N4 billion, N5 billion in the Sukuk. And if you look at this year’s budget for the whole area, the amount approved by parliament was N100 million.

“So, again, we’re hoping that we can fund this one because we’ve proposed it for this year’s Sukuk. So, these are the challenges we face,” he said.

The minister called for the setting up of a contingency maintenance fund, which he said should have a sizable amount.