FEC approves N26bn for road projects in FCT

The Federal executive Council (FEC), has approved N26.1 billion for the completion of five road projects within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, revealed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of the council, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.

According to him, three of the roads are within the city centre while two are in the satellite towns of Bwari and Gwagwalada.

He said: “The Ministry of the FCT presented five memos at today’s meeting and all have to do with infrastructure; three within the FCT itself while two in the area councils.

“Within the city, a contract was approved for the provision of an access road to the institutions and research district in Abuja, where we have the Nigerian War College, the Legislative and Judiciary Institute, among other public and private organisations, at a contract sum of N3.4 billion.

“The second contract approved was for the construction of an access road and car park for the rail station, located at Kagini, a community just by the Kubwa expressway.

“The access road is to link the community to the expressway, so that commuters can use facilities of the station and the Abuja light rail into the city; and that contract was approved for the sum of N1.8 billion with a completion period of 12 months.

“The third approval was for an augmentation of N16 billion for the existing contract of the Southern parkway currently ongoing.

“The road stretches from the National Christian Centre, through the NTA, FCDA facility, crossing Muhammadu Buhari way in Garki, and bursting out at the ring road in Kaura District, with a duration of 24 months.”

The Minister further explained that two area councils, namely Bwari and Gwagwalada, also had two roads approved for them.

He said when completed, the roads would open up the two areas for more development.

“A contract was approved for the rehabilitation of the road passing through the Nigerian Law School in Bwari to Kuchiko, and eventually Aja communities.

“The road is a very important community road, which will open up that area that has educational institutions, as well as farming communities.

“That contract was awarded at the sum of N1.4 billion with a duration of 18 months.

“The other contract was for the construction of a feeder road in Gwagwalada satellite town, starting from the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital road, right through to Kasche resettlement.

According to him, the road which is about 15 kilometres, including a bridge of 50 metres, will be executed at the cost of N3.5 billion, with a completion period of 16 months.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, also told the correspondents that the Council had approved more than N10.2 billion for the completion of some road projects across the country.

According to Fashola, the benefitting states include Edo, Ogun, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue and the FCT.

He said: “FEC approved all four memoranda I presented, with respect to Benin-Ore-Adebamdele Road, particularly the section from Adebamdele to Shagamu.

“The contract was first awarded in 2014 by the previous administration, and to complete it, the specifications needed to be changed, particularly the shoulders and the pavement which were inadequate as conceived to support some kind of trucks and tonnage.

“So, the redesign of the shoulders and pavement provision necessitated a revised estimated total cost of N22.879 billion to take the contract from its original sum of N71.6 billion to N92.5 billion.

“The stretch involved is 99 kilometres from kilometre 162 to 261. Council approved that review of total estimated cost in favour of the construction firm currently working there.”

The minister further explained that the Akwanga-Keffi-Makurdi Highway, got N4.625 billion for the construction of a 255-kilometre underground cable and telecommunication facility dock.

“Council also approved the contract for the Akwanga-Keffi-Makurdi highway, an existing contract executed under the China-EXIM loan.

“This is a sub-contract within the contract, which is the construction of a nine-way underground cable and telecommunication facility dock over the length of 255 kilometres for the sum of N4.625 billion.

“Council approved this and the company will first relocate some of the existing services, cables, pipes and all of that on that corridor and then construct a nine-way dock underground for future facility.

“So, this will help in digital communication, pipe, gas, and everybody who wants to lay service cables and allied installations in the future without necessarily damaging the existing road.”

He also stated that N2.8 billion was approved for the construction of a bridge along the Langtang-Wase road in Plateau State.

“The other memo was for the construction of a 4×20 meters span bridge at kilometre 18, along Lantang-Wase Road in Plateau State for N2.867 billion.

“Recall last year that the bridge, which was an old one, collapsed as a result of heavy flooding in the Lantang-Wase area cutting off people.

“We had to provide some remedial crossing for the communities.

“So, the council has approved that we reconstruct the bridge, this time using reinforced concrete at N2.867 billion.”

The minister also disclosed that more than N900 million was approved for the automation of the process for the issuance of certificate of occupancy in respect of Federal Government lands.

“The last memo approved was for the design and equipping of an automation process for the issuance of certificate of occupancy in respect of Federal Government lands.

“Currently, the Minister for Works and Housing has delegated authority for signing certificates of occupancy in a manual form.

“But we are moving to automation based on this approval, that all of these processes can be initiated online, processed online, approved and printed in a digital form.

Fashola said this would also provide business continuity and retrieval in case of any obstruction arising from natural and other unforeseen courses.

“The contract for all of these was N976,037,330 with a completion period of 10 months,” he added.