The Federal Executive Council has approved N71 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of 20 roads. Out of this, N21 billion has already been captured in the 2009 budget and the projects will cover all the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The atmosphere in the Presidential Villa was sombre in the absence of President Umoru Yar’Adua who, on Monday, travelled to Saudi Arabia for medical check up. The Minister of Information and Communications, Dora Akuniyili, while briefing journalists after the weekly meeting which was chaired by the Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan, said the contracts were shared by zones.
Equitable sharing
She said, “Breakdown of the projects and cost per zone shows: North Central, two projects in the sum of N5.7billion; North West, two projects in the sum of N9.7 billion; North East, four projects in the sum of N10 billion; South-South four projects for N9.7 billion; South East, four projects in the sum of N20.1 billion and South West four projects in the sum of N15.9 billion.”
Mrs. Akunyili stated that the government had argued that the state of disrepair of some of the roads calls for urgent rehabilitation. The Minister of Works, Hassan Lawal, noted that road projects are going on in all the geopolitical zones of the country and contractors have been mobilised to the various sites. He appealed for patience as road projects are not as easy as other forms of contracts.
The council also approved $8.8 million for the procurement of a fast patrol craft for the Nigerian Navy to facilitate effective patrol of the country’s maritime borders and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and approved the award of contract for the procurement of additional one upgraded 17m Manta, MK 111 ASD Fast Patrol Craft for the Nigerian Navy, payable in Naira at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment with a completion period of four months.
“Council also approved the purchase of five fairly used Supa Puma Helicopters from France to be deployed in the areas of air support for Nigerian troops in peace keeping operations as well as air support surveillance and reconnaissance in the Niger Delta. The importation will be done under Government to Government contract in the sum of £68.6 million, payable in Naira at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of payment, with completion period of six months.” Also approved by the council is the procurement of 116 units of Peugeot brand of cars from the Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria Limited at the cost of N504,191,362.50 for the Nigeria Customs Service in view of the role it plays in revenue generation and to enable it meet up the target set for it.
Revenue generation
The Minister of Finance, Mansur Muhtar, who presented the memo before the council, noted that “the inadequacy of functional operational vehicles, to a large extent, has served as a constraint to the revenue generation capacities of the Nigerian Customs Service and also poses potential threat to the realisation of not only the 2009 revenue target, but to subsequent ones.”
In order to curb the smuggling of goods into the country, the council also approved the award of contract for the purchase of arms and ammunition for the Nigerian Customs Service. The contract was awarded to the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) at N382,236,064.00.
The other contracts approved include the procurement of 40 locally manufactured Prowler brands of armoured personnel carriers with accessories for the Nigeria Police at a cost of N2.03 billion. The contract sum takes care of two-week training of the policemen who will use them and two years back-up spare parts.
A technical audit of the Ajaokuta Steel Company cost will gulp N640.4 million while the audit of the National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, will cost N256.5 million as approved by the FEC. This follows the termination of the concession of the two plants granted to Global Infrastructure Holdings on account of alleged assets stripping.
The consultancy services contract (phase I) of the Shagamu-Benin-Asaba dual carriageway was approved by the council at the cost of N147.09 million .
Reader Comments (22)
post a comment
* = Required information