By Modupe Gbadeyanka
As part of the ongoing monitoring of the implementation of the 2016 Capital Projects, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has visited Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos to inspect some projects under the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The monitoring exercise which was designed by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning under the Ministry’s Quarterly Budget Performance Monitoring of 2016 Capital Budget, will culminate in the production of the quarterly report by the Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the ministry.
According to the Minister, the objectives of the monitoring exercise include; to assess the level of fund disbursement and utilization by the MDAs as at the third quarter of 2016, to examine status of projects implementation and their performance levels, and also assess the value for money for the levels of project implementation.
Other objectives are; assessing the impact of executed projects on target beneficiaries and communities; and also Identify challenges and lessons learnt in the projects implementation Among the projects visited by the Minister are; Upgrade and Rehabilitation of MMIA Terminal Building, awarded in 2011 to Zakhem Construction Limited; Expansion and Upgrade of MMIA Wing D & E Fingers (phase 2 -3), awarded in 2012 to Ogbosite International Limited, and the Refurbishing and Upgrading of MMIA Passengers Processing Area, awarded in 2011 to Archivisual Solution Limited.
Other projects visited by the Minister are; rehabilitation and asphalt retracing at GAT Apron at Lagos, awarded in 2013 to Deux Projecs Limited; reconstruction and Upgrade of GAT Protocol at MMIA, awarded in 2012 to ARDC, and also provision of Transit Lounge at MMIA, awarded in 2012 to Archivisual Solution Limited.
While speaking to the journalists after the tour of the facilities, the Minister expressed satisfaction with what was provided by FAAN at the MMIA, especially at the arrival lounge, Airport’s Power House, upgrade of the Airport’s terminal building and the asphalt retracing works.
She commended the level of completion Underscoring the importance the current administration attached to development of infrastructure in the country, which she described as the bed rock to speeding up development in any nation, Mrs Ahmed stated that more than any other previous administration in Nigeria, 30 percent of the total sum of the 2016 budget was allocated to the provision of infrastructure by the current administration under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Aduragbemi Omiyale