Federal Govt Approves N225.2bn For Roads, Aviation, Others

Federal government has approved N225.247 billion for projects in Ministries of Works and Housing,  Aviation, Police Affairs and Health.

The ministers of works and housing, Babtunde Raji Fashola; Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi and minister of state for health, Ekumankama Joseph as well as the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the federal executive council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa.

Fashola said he presented two memoranda and they are largely Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) based in line with the Executive Order seven, approved by President Buhari in January 25, 2019 for Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme to allow private sector to invest tax liabilities in advance in infrastructure.

He said the policy would allow a steady and sustained stream of funding by MTN at the cost of N202.887billion to complete the outstanding works of an aggregate of 91.9 kilometres on both sides.

That policy according to him, has helped the country to finance roads like Obajana to Kabba, Apapa -Oshodi, Oshoki-Ojota Expressway, the Bodo -Bonni expressway in Port Harcourt, adding that about 1000 kilometres covering 21 roads are under the NNPC investment.

He said, “The first that was approved yesterday was the one by MTN Nigeria PLC, the telecommunication company to take over and complete the ongoing Enugu -Onitsha expressway which is a 110 kilometres, being dualized and you have 110 kilometers times two.”

The second approval was for the Umuchi-Ususu-Umueme GZ Industries Road in Abia State and the private sector beneficiary of the approval is a company called GZ Industries which manufactures aluminum cans for bottling drinks.

On his part, the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika said he presented three memoranda for civil aviation but one was stood down for them to re-work it for more clarity, and that is the memoranda on the establishment of Aviation Leasing Company.

Sirika said Civil Aviation got the approval for the award of contracts for the establishment of Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre in Katsina at the sum of N7,913,949,964 billion.

The second contract is the building of the maintenance centre, which was awarded to Messrs Ingenious Nigeria Limited at the sum of N3.985 billion and the other one is the civil works around it, which went to Messrs Glovesly Pro-Project, at the cost of N1.120 billion.

The second memoranda were the approval of the full business case to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility where aircrafts will be maintained here in the country, and will be a departure from the past, where aircrafts are flown to Europe, to America or to the far East for maintenance.

“We will be doing the maintenance here when it’s established. There’s a lot of debates. People have said, we have Messrs Aero Contractors, we have Ariks, have others that are having the MROs,” he said.

Meanwhile the police affairs minister, said the council approved the award of contract for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund for the supply of vehicles and insurance cover for several other vehicles at a total cost of N4,541,829,704 billion.

According to him, the vehicles consist of Landcruisers, Toyota Prado,2021 model and Toyota Camry.

“The Land Cruisers are about eight in number while the Prado are about eight number also, and then the Toyota Camry vehicles are about 44 in number and are to be used for tactical operations,” he said.

The Ministry of Health got N592 million approval for procurement of MRI diagnostic machine at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Teaching Hospital Ile-Ife, Osun State.