The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the construction of five roads in the country worth N309 billion.
The roads are located in Borno, Kaduna, Lagos and Ogun States.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this to journalists after the meeting of the council in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said the roads, totalling 274.9 kilometres, would be constructed by Dangote Group of companies under the tax credit policy of the Nigerian government.
“The memo presented was for the construction and reconstruction of five road projects, as the case may be, in favour of Dangote Industries Limited totalling 274.9 kilometres of federal roads under the federal government’s roads infrastructure tax credit policy which is one of strategic partnership with the private sector.
“Those five roads will cost N309,917,717,251.55 to be advanced by the Dangote Industries as tax credit.
“The roads specifically are Bama to Banki in Borno State, 49.153 kilometre; Dikwa to Gamboru Ngala (Borno), 49.577 kilometres; Nnamdi Azikiwe Road popularly known as Western Bye-Pass in Kaduna State, 21.477 kilometres.
“The Deep Sea Port access road Sections I and III in Lagos State through Epe to Shagamu Express Way, 54.24 kilometres, that links Lagos and Ogun States, and the Obele Ilaro-Shagamu Road, 100 kilometres in Ogun,’’ he said.
According to him, the council also approved the memorandum, to facilitate the construction of the 274 kilometres of concrete road and “this will be the largest single award of concrete roads ever undertaken by the government of Nigeria in one award.”
The Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, said the council approved three memos for the ministry.
He said the approved projects included the construction of 45 km Offafa-Umuahia Transmission Line in Abia in the sum of 170,465 dollars plus N814.1 million.
Mr Mamman disclosed that the council approved N259.9 million for construction of a substation at Obajana with line base extension at Lokoja.
“The last one is the construction, design, and supply of 2 by 50 MVA 132 33 substation at Ikom with 2 by 132 lines base transmission at Calabar, Cross River.
“It also includes the design and construction of 220 km Calabar-Ikom 132 Cable Double Circuit Transmission Line. The amount is 39.9 million dollars plus N9.5billion.’’
The council also approved the introduction of a Specialised Police Service Scheme for the Nigeria Police Force to boost its revenue base and check financial leakages.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this after the meeting.
According to him, the scheme would be managed through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and revenue generated will be shared between the federal government, police and the consultant.
“There will be an introduction of tariffs and billing schemes. This will be using PPP (Public Private Partnership arrangement).
“The police projected the use of consultant that will help them to manage this. Part of the revenue will go to Federal Government. Part of it will go to the police; part of it will go into police allowances and part will go to consultant as their own fees.
“This is a new system that will formalise the existing relationship between the Nigeria Police and Banks or Corporations, whereby the Police gives them cover or escort.
“Now in the interest of accountability and transparency, there will be the introduction of tariffs and billing scheme through the use of a consultant that will help them to manage the scheme.
“This is something that has been going on for many years in some parts of the world,” he explained.
Mr Garba also said the Council approved N754 million for the construction of a Command and Control Centre and procurement of communication gadgets for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) got approval for capital projects worth N754, 048, 161.25 and these are mainly for the supply of communication gadgets and a command and control centre.
“This is to enable the EFCC to comply with modern day investigative techniques and improve its operational efficiency and support the administration of the criminal justice system in the country.’’
Mr Shehu added that the approval was also aimed at equipping the commission with a defensive and offensive cybersecurity system.
According to the presidential aide, the council also approved N1.5 billion for the construction of a network of roads at the Federal Ocean Terminal at Onne Port in Rivers following a memo submitted by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
He disclosed that the council also approved N161.8million as variation for the consultancy fee for the Biu Mega Water Supply project in Borno.
FEC also approved N8.6 billion for the construction of vaccine laboratory, text kits for HIV/AIDS and procurement of medical equipment.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, announced this while briefing journalists after the meeting of the council.
According to the minister, N3.06 billion of the amount will be spent on the construction of vaccine laboratory, N1.2 billion for laboratory equipment while N4.3 billion will be used in procuring text kits for HIV/AIDS and Syphilis.
He said: “The Ministry of Health presented three memos, which were all approved. One of them was for the procurement of test kits for HIV/AIDS.
“As you all know, Nigeria has succeeded in driving down the HIV prevalence from 3 per cent to 1.3 per cent.”
Mr Ehanire said with the nationality indicator and the impact survey carried out recently, the government was ready to conduct more tests, particularly of mothers who may be carrying HIV that could be passed on to their unborn children.
“That’s sort of called the prevention of mother to child transmission and also without routine tests that will be done on people who may have absolutely no symptom at all, but are carrying HIV virus.
“So, these test kits we are procuring and we’re also including those test kits that can also detect syphilis.
“Syphilis as you all know is another sexually transmitted disease. So, this memo was presented today and passed by the Council,” said the minister.
He further stated that the council approved two other memos from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
“One of them was a memo that was meant to buy equipment for six laboratories in the country and the memo was also passed without any question.
“It’s to update and upgrade the laboratories of NAFDAC,” he added.
