..Approves N1.8b for University of Abuja

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru, Abuja

The Federal Executive Council, FEC on Wednesday approved N310 billion for roads projects.

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fasola (SAN)

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa.

According to him, FEC approved N79.82 billion for Ibadan-Ilesa-Ife road, N200.176 billion for roads linking second Niger Bridge to Asaba and Onitsha, and N29.654 billion for phase 2 of Kano-Katsina highway.

He said “The ministry of works and housing presented three memoranda and they were approved. The first is the Construction of Ibadan/Ilesha/Ife dual carriageway that connects Oyo and Osun States for N79.829 billion.

“Secondly, for the link roads that connect the Second Niger Bridge to Asaba and Onitsha. The Asaba link road was awarded to Messrs Julius Berge and the Onitsha link road was awarded to Messrs Renold Construction. The total construction cost of these link roads is N200.176 billion.

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“So, this completes essentially the access road that will link to the bridge in a short time. These roads were not designed when the bridge was awarded so this administration has completed the design and we have now awarded them so that there can be a bridge that has link roads. All that was awarded initially under a PPP project was a bridge.

“The third one was phase two of Kano/Katsina highway from the point known as Gidan Mutum all the way where the Katsina Steel Rolling Mill is. This is a 78km stretch approved at the sum of N29.654 billion.

“That road is a 152-kilometer road linking Kano and Katsina road starting from Kano side and it was a single lane highway until it was awarded in 2013 by the previous administration in phase one. So we inherited it and we have continued to execute it. The award was to then expand the road into a dual carriage highway.

“So that meant reconstructing existing one and building another one. It was awarded for the first 70KM plus for phase one. So what we are now doing is to complete the award to the same contractor so that there is a uniformity of construction all the way into Katsina. The price was N29.654 billion.

Also briefing, the Minister of State for Education, Chief Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba said that contracts amounting to N1.833 billion were approved for his ministry under Tertiary Education Trust Fund,  TETFUND.

He explained that  N915 million was for the construction of Faculty of Environment at the University of Abuja, while the contract of N918 million for construction of Faculty of Education in the same university.

He said, “The memorandum approved was in respect of TETFUND intervention program in respect of the University of Abuja. A key component of that was the award of contract at the sum of N915 million for the construction of the faculty of environment.

“Another 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 program that was awarded then in 2017. So we have to act to give effect to them so that they can proceed with the delivery.”

Vanguard News