Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The federal government yesterday gave the go-ahead for the award of a contract to Dangote Group for the construction of five roads totalling 274.9 kilometres at the estimated cost of N309,917,717,251.35 to be advanced by the company as a tax credit.
This is just as the government also formalised the Police Special Service in the interest of transparency and accountability while approving N8.6 billion to the Ministry of Health for the procurement of HIV/AIDS kits.
Briefing reporters at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said the road contract would be executed on concrete and will be the larger of such project in the country.
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He urged electricity consumers not to panic at the price review in July, saying it is a minor review that is aimed at bridging the gap in the cost of electricity purchased by the distribution companies from the Generation companies.
According to the statement, at various levels of policy discourse in the power sector reforms, the ministers of power, Engr. Mamman Sale and Mr Jedy-Agba had urged electricity consumers to be calm, saying no responsible government will deliberately exploit citizens, especially in the provision of social amenities like electrification and other relevant infrastructure. President Muhammadu Buhari had in September 2020 approved a minor review of the price of electricity, while the National Assembly in its resolution deferred the price review to the first quarter of 2021.
Sale said the council approved the construction of three sub-stations – two in Kano State and one in Benue State.
He put the cost for the extension of transmission lines in Abia and Imo states at $506,324.40 plus N34,034,000 local content.
“On the amount for the construction of three sub-stations in Zaki-Biam, Benue State and Bichi and Kanyi, Kano State, the one in Zaki-Biam is $8.6 million while the local content is N2.08 billion. The second one in Bichi is $9.6 million plus N1.7 billion local content. The one in Kanyi, Kano State is $9.5 million plus N1.7 billion,” he explained.
The minister, while explaining what led to the award of the new projects, said: “There has not been any problem so far. But we just have to expand the national grid for sustainable supply of electricity and also to improve capacity.”
By Deji Elumoye
The federal government yesterday raised the cost of completing the 18.7kilometre long Bulu-Oriagbene road in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State by N500 million.
It also approved the construction of electricity substations in Benue and Kano States as well as N190 million for the procurement of a microscope for the University of Ibadan.
Briefing journalists after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at the State House, Abuja the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said the construction of the road was a project of the ministry, which has already attained 97 per cent completion.