The all important Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been granted additional N64.108 billion for additional work on 43 kilometres’ part of section one of the project.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) gave the approval for the release of the funds on Wednesday.
Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, who spoke with reporters after about six hours’ FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said it was part of the N68.6 billion approved for roads projects.
He was with Minister of State for Agriculture Heneiken Lokpobiri, Minister of Health Isaac Adewole, Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu.
The new approval, Fashola said, is to accommodate the changing factors occurring on the project and also to modify the bitumen for the road to withstand heavy vehicles.
“This covers Glover leaves, pedestrian bridges, toll plazas for that section so as to accommodate changing nature of that road since conception. So many new structures, religious institutions, factories, universities and increased human activities that have come up along that road.
“The inherited design didn’t provide for all these at all. The second section under RCC about 80 kilometres will come to council to incorporate similar works, including drainage works etc, when we finish procurement,” the minister said.
The minister added that N4.57 billion was approved for Sumaila-Falala-Birni Bako-Bauchi road linking Bauchi and Kano State.
Lokpobiri said FEC approved new 10 rice mills at a cost of N10.7 billion.
The 10 states the mills will be located, he said, included Kebbi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kaduna, Ogun, Niger and Bauchi.
Each of the mills, he added, will have capacity to produce 100 tonnes of rice per day.
According to him, the private sector will manage the 10 mills.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said N10 billion was approved to fight erosion.
“This is the fourth quarter soil erosion, flood and pollution accelerated intervention projects worth about N10 billion. These are projects that cover the length and breadth of the country,” he said.
He added that $460 million was approved to facilitate usage of new buildings located at main airports in the country, which could not be put to use at the beginning of this administration.
Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu said the FEC approved the two memos his Ministry brought to the council for argumentation of existing projects.
He said N93 million was approved for erosion control in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The other memo, he said, concerns the Azare-Jere project, which is a spill off from the Gurara Dam pipeline water transfer.
He said N1.57 billion was approved to pay the outstanding liabilities to the contractor, SCC Nig. Ltd.
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
