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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a N115.4billion contract award for the dualisation of the Kano-Kazaure-Kongolam highway from its present single carriageway.
Briefing correspondents after the meeting of the council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola explained that the project, which spans 131.4 kilometres, is expected to be completed within a period of 48 months.
The approval followed a memo presented to the FEC by his ministry.
He said: “The Ministry of Works and Housing presented a memo for the dualization of the Kano-Kazaure-kongolam highway. 131.4 kilometres from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway.
“So, Council approved that proposal at a cost of N115,425, 896,907.15 kobo over 48months.
“The instructive thing is that the financing will be done by the Tax Credit Scheme of BUA International Limited and they will use Messrs PW Construction Nigeria Limited, a company in which they have acquired some interest to undertake the construction.”
On his part, the Ministry of Transportation presented two memos related to the contract for consultancy services for the supervision of the various railway projects in the country.
The memo sought the council’s approval for the consultancy services at the cost of 183.7 million.
Amaechi explained: “Remember that we have about three railway projects that are yet to start construction and they include the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Kano-Maradi and then the Abuja-Warri.”
The minister said the consultancy services were approved for the contractors including GIX Engineers Infrastructure Excellence/Yaroso & Partnership Ltd, Core Consulting Engineering Plc, for Abuja to Warri.
He added: “For the consultancy services for supervision of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, with branch lines to Bonny Deep Seaport and Port Harcourt Industrial Park and then to Owerri, we have Kyari Consults SDMBHD/Jamood Global Services Limited at $97.5 million. The first one is $38.4 million; consultancy services for the supervision of Kano-Katsina-Jibia-Maradi rail-line to TEAM (Technics Engineering Architecture Marketing Nigeria Limited) and that is for $47,670,000 million. All of them are for a period of 36 months.
“The second one is that the cabinet approved a concessionaire agreement for the Ministry of Transportation to concession the Onitsha River Port to a company called Inversal Elysium Consortium. They are to manage the river port for 30 years.”
She revealed that her ministry also presented a report on the last COP 26 (the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and the country’s plans for COP 27 going forward.
Similarly, Minister of State for Health, Olorunimbe Mamora, said the council also approved the award of contract for consultancy services to facilitate the building of the corporate headquarters of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Abuja.
He said: “The need has become inevitable to expand what is on grand to improve the operational efficiency of that agency, which is the National Health Insurance Scheme and happily, the Council considered the memo approved same.
Tribune
