FG approves N87.5bn for Abuja, Oyo-Ogbomosho road projects

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved N87.54bn for the construction of some roads in parts of the country.

The roads include the Oyo-Ogbomosho expressway and some critical Abuja highways.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello; and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, told journalists about the approved road contracts at the end of a meeting of the council presided over by the President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to Bello, Messrs Gilmor Engineering Nigeria Limited was awarded the road contract for Abuja in the sum of N30.69bn.

He said the contract was about the full scope development of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way to the Northern Expressway (Murtala Mohammed Way) popularly known as Kubwa Expressway.

He said the project area was within Phase II of the Federal Capital City, serving as boundary road between the adjoining districts of Mabushi, Kado, Katampe and Jabi.

Fashola spoke on the approval of a variation of N47.5bn for the completion of the 52 kilometre-Oyo-Ogbomosho Highway, which is a part of the Ilorin-Ibadan 145 kilometres highway.

He said the variation had increased the cost of the contract to N105.04bn.

The minister explained that the variation was necessary because of the need to adjust the thickness of the pavement from 500mm to 560mm; to change the asphalt to polymer-modified bitumen and change the shoulders from surface dressing to fully-asphalted inside and outside shoulder.

He said, “All these required changes in prices of N47.5bn. This was the revision that we presented which council approved.

“This road was awarded in 2010. As I said, Sections 1 and 3 were completed. We are trying to complete Section 2 which we also inherited.”