Floods: FEC Approves Additional N260bn for Repair of East-West Road

•Okays N140bn for construction of five roads in Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe states

•Local pencil production in progress, says Mamora

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The recent flood disaster that ravaged parts of the country and affected some highways received the attention of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as it approved N400 billion for the repairs of some section of the East-West road as well as five other federal roads in Lagos,Yobe, Kano, Yobe and Jigawa states.

The FEC at its weekly meeting on Wednesday presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, okayed the variation in the sum of contract for East-West road project sections one to four from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron, by N260 billion, bringing the total amount required for it to N506 billion.

The original cost for the sections was about N246 billion.

The council approved another N140 billion worth of contracts for the rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction of some other roads in different parts of the country.

Briefing newsmen on the issue after the FEC meeting, the media assistant to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the variation followed a memorandum presented to the council by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, as part of efforts to provide succor and resolve issues around the recent floods.

He said: “He got approval for the variation order in respect of repair works on the East-West road project affected during the recent flooding occurrences in the Niger Delta.

“So, the approval was for a variation order for the East-West road project sections 1-4 from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron, including Oron-Eket bypass in the sum of N260 billion, thereby increasing the total contract sum for the outstanding sections 1-4 of the East West road projects from the sum of formerly of N246 billion now to N506 billion. The memo was approved.”

Fashola also got FEC’s go-ahead for the award of contracts for the urgent repairs, and special general maintenance of a few roads nationwide.

They included the construction of Gogora Guru road in Yobe state, in the sum of N40 billion, with completion time of 36 months; the rehabilitation of the 90 kilometre Buni Gari Gulani road also in Yobe state in the sum of N4 billion, with a completion period of 36 months.

Approval was also given for the urgent repairs and the reconstruction of Water Cooperation Drive at Trinity Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos State, in the sum of N2 billion with a completion period of 36 months.

Similarly, approval was given for the award of contract for the dualisation and reconstruction of the Kano-Kwanar-Ganja-Hadejia road in Kano and Jigawa states, in the sum of N94 billion inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT, with a completion period of 24 months.

Also briefing newsmen, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Olorunnibe Mamaora, affirmed that local pencil production was ongoing at the Project Development Institute (PRODA) in Enugu.

According to him, the institute had been unable to meet its objectives of producing machine tools and aircraft parts as envisaged because of crisis.

Mamora said FEC approved the memorandum presented on behalf of the National Space Agency and Development (NASDA) for public private partnership to secure partnership on the upgrade, equipping, operating and marketing of Space Museum, and Planetarium, saying, even though the buildings meant for the project had been in place since 2018, “but because of non-availability of funds to put the necessary equipment is in place that project has been stalled.”