South-east, soth-west… FEC approves N1.4trn for road projects

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved N1.4 trillion for some road projects across the country.

The approval was given on Monday during the weekly FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

David Umahi, minister of works, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting, said the cost of some of the projects was reviewed upward.

“We have the Natalla-Buru in Kano state. We stepped it down to look for funds. There is no fund for it. So, we stepped it down,” Umahi said.

“So, the next one is the Benin-Akure-Ilesha Road, and that’s 150 km by two. So, we’re looking at 300 km here and the total contract is N525 billion awarded to HiTech Construction to use concrete pavements to do it. So, it’s been approved.

“Then we have the third one; Benin-Akure, by Ilesha. That’s section 2, and that’s 66 km awarded to HiTech Construction.

“It might interest you to know that this project has been on in terms of procurements since September 2023.

“It is part of the supplementary budget but because we didn’t have enough funding, we couldn’t present it, but now we have three stretches of funding. And that’s why we are presenting it.

“So, this one is 66 km, and it is dualised for N286 billion in favour of HiTech Construction for concrete technology.

“The next project is Angingali-Udobi-Udona-Umo-Uwana-Ubalaka. And that is in Imo state, and that is a review. It is an NNPC project being reviewed from N14 billion to N26.46 billion.

“Then you have Ojo-Odum-Okuku Road Benue state, stepped down for review and to be brought back in the next FEC.

“We have another NNPC project, and that is the rehabilitation of Aba-Owerri Road, the NNPC depot expressway in Abia state, and the project has been reviewed in favour of Rudo Nigeria Limited in the sum of N21 billion.

“We have another project going from Odukpani Itu in Ikot-Ekpene in Cross Rivers state and it’s being handled by CCECC.”

On his part, Ali Pate, minister of health, said FEC approved 7,887 sets of dialysis consumables for seven tertiary health institutions to reduce the cost of healthcare for citizens.