The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the award of contracts worth about N392.7 billion for road construction, equipment supply for the population census and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Council also approved N10.9 billion for the supply and installation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) components for the 2023 population census.
Also approved is a contract for the development and implementation of mobile device management solution for the personal digital assistant devices to be used for the 2023 population census.
These were announced by the Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, while briefing correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Wednesday.
They were based on memoranda presented to the council by the National Population Commission (NPC).
Similarly, FEC approved a contract for the development of external cost of infrastructure at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) new training academy worth N3.3 billion.
The presidential spokesman stated: “Among those memos that were okayed today was the award of the contract for the supply and installation of information and communication technology (ICT) components for the 2023 population census. This is for the National Population Commission (NPC). It is meant for the census.
“The ICT component contract was awarded for about N10.9 billion. Another contract that was approved for the National Population Commission was the contract for the development and implementation of mobile device management solutions for the personal digital assistant devices to be used for the 2023 population census. This is in the sum of about N4.4 billion.
“Contract was also approved for the development of external cost of infrastructure at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) new training academy. This is for about N3.3 billion naira.
“Another one is for variation in the cost for the supply of airport fire crash tenders in the Ministry of Aviation and this is for about N65 million naira.
“Another one is the contract for the procurement of 19 vehicles for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in the sum of one billion naira.
“We don’t have the Minister of Labour and Employment today. But he got two approvals. One is pertaining to the woodworking ecosystem. Government has revised regulations pertaining to woodworking machinery and the entire ecosystem which dated back to 1959.
“New regulations have been put in place as empowered by the law. And by this approval, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will domicile and gazette these changes that have been approved. His other approval is on policy on HIV/AIDS.
“Basically, this is to guarantee personal human rights over people with HIV in work places so that they are not discriminated against and they are given equal rights. So, that is what it is about. They are not discriminated against and they are given all that is due to them. And they are respected, especially with regards to their personal and human rights.”
Also speaking, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, gave the breakdown of the contracts approved under his Ministry.
He explained: “So, the ministry of Works and Housing, presented three memoranda to Council, they were project and contract memoranda. The first was for the digitization of the processes and workflow and systems of the Ministry of Works and Housing. Essentially, to convert all our paper record, files, our memorandums into digital format and move to a paperless office, if you like, through a web-based application.
“So, that memorandum was considered and approved by Council, it was for the sum of N916,813,356, in favour of a company called Digital Communications Consult. The implementation is 12 months.
“The second is to augment the contract price of an existing contract. That contract is a contract for the construction of the Kaduna Eastern Bypass, that’s a very critical road that connects Kaduna with about 11 other states in the country.
“The contract has been long going, awarded since 2002, largely unfunded, we resuscitated it back to life through our Sukuk Project, it’s 48 kilometres, about twenty-something kilometres has been completed, but the rates at which the contract was awarded has become obsolete because of inflation and so the contractor sought and Council has considered and approved an augmentation to increase the contract size from N38 billion to N74.64 9 billion. So that’s an augmentation of N36.459 billion.
“The third contract that was approved was under the Tax Credit Programme, covered by Executive Order 7, which was issued by Mr. President on the 25th of January, I believe 2019. Yes, that Executive Order 7 invites and allows private sector members of our community in Nigeria to invest in public infrastructure, especially roads, by spending their taxes in advance and then claiming the tax credit later.
“In this case, we approved four roads, all of them in Kwara State. The total is a distance of 283.938 kilometres, that’s the total length of the four roads. The approval was for Messrs BUA International Limited, BUA is a company famous for cement, but they also do other things. One of the reasons why they are investing in Kwara is because some of their operations, including sugar and all of that is impacted by road network supply.
“So, the roads involved are Bode Sa’adu-Kaiama-Kosubu Road, 130 kilometres, awarded at N152.843 billion. Lafiagi-Shonga-Bacita Road, 74.3 kilometres, awarded at N80.222 billion; and Eiyenkorin-Afon-OjokuOffa Road, 42.638 kilometres, awarded at N56.329 billion; and Okuta-Kenu-Tebe Road, 37 kilometres, awarded N37.887 billion.
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