FEC okays N38.4bn for completion of road projects in 5 states, INEC national commissioners sworn in

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N38.4 billion for the completion of some inherited road projects in five states of the federation.

Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola made this known when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the benefiting states are Benue, Bayelsa, Anambra, Imo and Nasarawa.

He added that all the affected projects were inherited from previous administrations.

“They are not new projects, they are projects that we inherited and we are trying to complete. So essentially they relate to cost revision because of the ages of the contracts and the prices of goods that have changed,” he said.

Also addressing the correspondents on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu disclosed that the Council approved N10.7 million as augmentation for the completion of Middle Rima Valley Irrigation Project in Sokoto state.

“The federal Ministry of Water Resources presented a memo to council for the revised total cost of phase II of the construction of middle river valley irrigation project.

“That is the completion of the middle Rima valley irrigation project in Goronyo, Sokoto state.

“This contract was started in 1999 by the military administration then, first phase was completed, comprising 873 hectares.

“The phase II was started in 2007 and that is what we have been struggling to complete. It is also an inherited project.

“The total scope of the phase II is 404,333 hectares out of which about 80 per cent of the work has been done.

“So, this memo is seeking a revised cost of the project, with an augmentation of about N10.7 million so that we’ll be able to finish the project, hopefully before the expiration of this administration in 2023,” he said.

The minister said out of the government’s target of completing the 116 inherited projects, 34 had so far been completed.

The Council meeting was preceded by the swearing-in of three National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Those sworn-in include Dr Baba Bila, representing the North-East, Prof. Sani Adam, North-Central and Prof. Abdullahi Abdu, representing North-West zone.