The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved
\nN995million for road rehabilitation and procurement of an information
\nand communication device that would enhance highway management system
\nfor roads across the country.<\/p>\n
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this to
\nState House Correspondents at the end of the Council meeting presided
\nover by President Muhammadu Buhari.<\/p>\n
He stated that N203 million of the amount would be expended on the
\nprocurement of an information and communication device while the
\nremaining N792 million was meant for rehabilitation of roads in Zamfara.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Ministry of Works and Housing presented two memoranda to the
\nCouncil. The first was a memorandum for a contract for the design and
\ndeployment of a contract performance and compliance for highway and road
\naccess management system for N203,845,332.59.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an information and communication technology device being
\nprocured by the ministry in order to improve its capacity to monitor not
\nonly contract performance, but also maintenance of these roads and to
\nempower not only its 36 Comptrollers of the states in the federation but
\nalso the six Zonal Directors, to improve our service delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister said the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT)
\nwould enhance the monitoring of the many roads spread across the
\ncountry, which are at various stages of construction or rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe importance of deploying ICT now would perhaps better be appreciated
\nwhen it is understood that we have over 13, 000 kilometres of road
\nnetwork at different stages of construction or rehabilitation as at the
\nend of Dec. 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose 13, 000 kilometres are manifest in over 700 different contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so complex that some of these roads are so long. So, you have five
\ndifferent contractors for example, we have five contractors handling the
\nKano-Maiduguri, same for Benin-Lokoja.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we have different contracts to monitor and manage. We will deploy
\nICT there and at full deployment, citizens will also become our army of
\nreporters providing us with information so that we can respond more
\nquickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be a web-based reporting and monitoring system,\u201d Fashola
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also said the council approved N792 million as ratification for the
\nemergency roads repair done in Zamfara State in 2016, caused by a heavy
\nrainfall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rain washed out Gumi bridge, washed out Daki-takwas, Kebbi to
\nSokoto State border, Gusau to Talatu Mafara to Sokoto border.<\/p>\n
He said the contract was awarded under the public procurement act in
\nemergency situations as provisional contracts.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we had to go through the procurement process, file reports of
\ncompletion and then come to seek ratification. So, the work had since
\nbeen completed but the paperwork has now led us here. And the
\nratification was granted today by FEC for N792,370,678.86.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Also, Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, who also
\nspoke on the outcome of the meeting, said the Council approved the
\nNational Quality Policy.<\/p>\n
According to him, the essence of the policy is to ensure goods exported
\nout of Nigeria are accepted in the countries they are being exported to.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a long time, Nigerian exporters have been suffering because of lack
\nof quality of their goods.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe felt that it was high time we actually have a policy which will
\ncreate a situation whereby standard of the Nigerian goods that are
\nexported would be raised such that that rejection would stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis policy will create a situation whereby the government and the
\nprivate sector will be able to collaborate to set up quality testing
\ncentres, testing labs which we hope will have accreditation with
\ninternational centers, such that any goods that has approved to have met
\nthe standard, would be of international standard\u201d.<\/p>\n
Adebayo said the council also approved the Nigerian\/Hungarian Trade
\nAgreement.<\/p>\n
He said the agreement between the two countries has been ratified.<\/p>\n
According to the minister, the whole essence is for Nigerian businessmen
\nto have access to exporting their goods to Hungary and to further
\nincrease trade between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The minister said council also approved a N50 million variation of power
\ncontract in the Kano Free Trade Zone on behalf of the Nigerian Export
\nProcessing Zone Authority.<\/p>\n
Adebayo explained that a contract was awarded in 2018 for underground
\ncabling for power project within the Kano Free Trade Zone, but
\nunfortunately it was not completed before certain specification changes
\nwere made.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the contractor requested a variation of six percent increase of the
\ninitial contract sum, which amounted to about N50 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cCouncil has approved that variation and the job which has reached 93
\npercent completion will be completed within the next six months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adebayo said the council also approved another contract for Nigerian
\nExport Processing Zone Authority, for the purchase of a property in
\nLagos to be used as their Lagos zonal office.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs you are aware, Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority is
\nresponsible for all the free trade zones in the country, the value of
\nthe free trade zones in the Lagos area alone is valued at about $30
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo for proper collation and oversight of these free trade zones, we
\nfelt that it is only right that we have the zonal office of the Nigerian
\nExport Processing Zone Authority in the Lagos area and that has been
\napproved by council.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said
\ncouncil approved N1.146,659,500 billion for the installation of Solar
\nstreet lighting for the Kershi-Jikwoyi dual carriage road in Abuja.<\/p>\n
Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of the Federal Capital
\nTerritory, Mohammed Bello, said the contract would be completed within a
\nperiod of six months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a 20 kilometre street\u00a0 lighting project and the area host some
\nvery strategic institutions such as the Treasury Academy, New
\nCorrectional Centere which is under construction and it also houses the
\nFederal Science College, the Armed Forces Post Service Housing Scheme in
\naddition to Police Housing Scheme among others.<\/p>\n
\u201cApart from beautifying the area it\u00a0 also provides better security for
\nthe area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means the SDG goal number 11 will be met and at the same time the
\nglobal energy policy.\u2019\u2019(NAN)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday in Abuja approved N995million for road rehabilitation and procurement of an information and communication device that would enhance highway management system for roads…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n