FEC Okays N84.6bn for Airport, Road Projects

By Sodeinde Temidayo David

About N84.6 billion has been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the completion of road and airport projects across the country.

The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, confirmed this when he addressed newsmen at the end of the FEC meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said at the meeting presided over by his boss, over N5 billion was authorised by the council for various contracts in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Katsina airports.

According to Mr Adesina, the Minister of Aviation, Mr Sirika Hadi, presented a memo for the approval of the award of contracts at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Aminu Kano International Airport Kano and Katsina Airport in Katsina State.

He disclosed that the contract for the Lagos facility was for the expansion of the terminal building at domestic terminal General Air Traffic (GAT) for the sum of N2.8 billion.

For the Katsina airport, the sum of N527.7 million was projected for the expansion of its apron, while the Lagos cargo apron would gulp N1.98 billion, with the Abuja domestic apron areas taking N795,97 million and the Kano apron area to gulp N1.1 billion.

Mr Adesina explained that when completed, the contracts would go a long way in improving the air transportation network in the country.

Also addressing journalists after the FEC meeting, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, revealed that the council approved the dualisation of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road at the cost of N79.649 billion.

According to the Minister, the approved contract is in relation to the section from Oku Iboku Power Plant to Abak of about a 26-kilometre stretch, noting that Messers Sematech Nigeria Limited was given 16 months to complete the project.

He said the road project is set to help complete the dualization gaps between the one awarded to Julius Berger and the section awarded to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), noting that when this is done, motorists in that area will now have an option of the dual carriageway instead of the existing single carriageway.