By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N115,425,896,973.15 for the dualization of the Kano-Kazaure- kukula line highway, about 131.4 kilometers from a single carriage way to dual carriage way.
This much was disclosed by Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting at Presidential Villa Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him: “Ministry of Works and Housing presented one memorandum for the dualization of the Kano- Kazaure kukula line highway, 131.4 kilometers from a single carriage way to dual carriage way. So, council approve that proposal at a cost of N115,425,896,973.15 over 48 months”.
“The instructive thing is that the financing will be done by the tax credit scheme of BUA International Limited and they will use Messers PW construction Nigeria limited, a company in which they have acquired some interest to undertake the construction”.
… Railway Projects
Also, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Wednesday in Abuja disclosed that FEC approved a total cost of $187.7 million for consultancy services for the supervision of the various railway projects across the country and Maradi, Niger Republic.
Speaking after the weekly FEC meeting, Amaechi revealed that his ministry presented two memoranda which the Council graciously approved.
According to him: “The Ministry of Transport presented two memos and the first one has to do with a contract for consultancy services for supervision of the various railway projects”.
“You know that we have three or four railway projects that are yet to start or commenced the construction and they include the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri; Kano-Maradi and then Abuja to Warri”.
“Now, for the consultancy services, the following contractors were approved with the total cost of $187.7 million”.
The former Governor of Rivers state also stated that: “The contractors are GE Engineers Infrastructure Excellence/Yaro son and partnership limited, Core Consulting Engineering Plc, that is for Abuja-Warri”.
“And then for the consultancy services for supervision of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri with batch lines to Bonny Deepsea Port and Port Harcourt Industrial Park, and then to Owerri, we have Gary consults SDBHD/Jabu Global Services Limited at $97.5 million. The first one is $38.4 million”.
“Then the last one is consultancy services for the supervision of Kano-Katsina-Dibia-Maradi rail line, to Techniques Engineering, Architecture Marketing Nigeria Limited and that is for $47,670 million, all of them for a period of 36 months”.
Amaechi however said that the second memo the cabinet approved is the a concessioning agreement for Onitsha River Port to a company called Universal Eligion consortium that will manage the River Port for 30 years.
…NHIS Corporate Headquarters
Meanwhile, to expand what is on ground and improve the operational efficiency of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the award of contracts for the construction and consultancies services, in the building of the corporate headquarters of the agency.
This cheering news was disclosed by Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Olorunimbe Mamora while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly FEC meeting held at Presidential Villa Abuja on Wednesday.
According to him: “From the Ministry of Health, Council today (Wednesday) approved the award of contracts for the construction and consultancies services, in the building of the corporate headquarters of National Health Insurance Scheme here in Abuja”.
“Because the need has become inevitable to expand what is on ground to improve the operational efficiency of that agency which is the National Health Insurance Scheme. And happily, the council considered the memo and approves same”.
