By Ben Agande
FEDERAL Executive Council, FEC,  yesterday, approved various  projects in the sum of  N29.7bn. The projects included road construction and provision of water to some districts in the Federal Capital Territory.

Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, who disclosed this while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council meeting, said the projects which are part of the Lower Usman Dam project part 11, will run through Bwari to Gurara, having earlier completed the first phase of the project at the cost of  N13bn.

Another project approved by the council which was presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo was the dualisation of the abuja-Kaduna road through Bwari in the FCT.Onolememen explained: “Council has agreed to approve this road and it  is expected to run from Dutse Alhaji,  to access the north western parts of the country through  Kaduna as well as provide double advantage of creating easy access to the lower Usman Dam project within the federal capital territory, FCT”

“the project is costing N28B, with a completion period of 24 months as well as cross cutting advantages of making sure that we provide complementary services such as housing, agriculture and water supply”

“Council approved  it because of the salutary effect it will have on the city. It will provide more opportunities for even conferences, hotel development and create other employment opportunities for the area”

The Minister had earlier said that this week’ Council meeting was devoted to discussing memos  that bothers on infrastructural development and provision of infrastructure and services in the Federal  CapitalTerritory.

He said government would construct  more roads to ease traffic flow into and out of the federal CapitalTerritory, saying that  “are looking at the creation of bypasses to link the federal capital territory with neighboring states. Essentially, we are going to be having some kind of ring roads, like a semi circular ring rad that will act as a collector road and move people away from those express way and dissipate them to different points of the FCT”

He said the road sector under the two  years of President Jonathan’s administration has recorded remarkable achievement adding” In two years,  we have recorded a massive rehabilitation of arterial rads across the country, a number of abandoned projects were revived and many completed”

“The intractable problem we used to have along the Ore Ofosu road, on Benin Ore road have been tackled, the section one of the Gombe – Numan road have been completed, the Vom- Machuk road in Plateau state have been completed, Uba- Umbala road  in Borno state have been completed and quite a number of others in the last two years. Things have changed for the road sector under the leadership of President Jonathan” he said.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed, told reporters that the council also discussed memos on the provision of water for the Asokoro extension and surrounding environments, that is expected to provide water to  Dallas and Sunrise estates at the cost of about N1.7B.

He noted that already, private sector  investors are providing about N100Billion worth of investments, while the water is expected to be provided as part of the federal  government’s complimentary  infrastructural facilities for the area.

filename Fec September 25, 2013