Federal Govt approves N6.5bn to build new airport in Yobe

 

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Wednesday approved the sum of N6.5 billion for the construction of a new airport in, Wachakal, Yobe State.

Yobe is the home state of Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who represents Yobe North Constituency on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The Yobe airport approval is coming at a time the federal government has put up four international airports in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt for sale to the private sector.

Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika announced the approval to State House Correspondents after the week’s virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Sirika said FEC approved a total of N21.10 billion (N21,107,212,510) for projects in the aviation and education ministries as well as some federal agencies.

The virtual FEC was President Buhari’s first official public event after concluding his mandatory self-isolation, following his return to the country after an 18-day work-cum-medical visit to the United Kingdom, last Friday.

The post-FEC briefing was addressed by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika and the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. They were joined by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.

Sirika said Council approved four memoranda for his ministry, the total cost of which amounted to N16,697,742,839.

According to him, the projects to be executed in the contracts include construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State at N6.3 billion; post construction services for the same airport at the cost of N219.8 million; procurement of eight airport rescue and firefighting vehicles at the cost of N9.5 billion and a contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs to the Lagos and Abuja international airports at the cost of N658.8 million.

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Minister of State for Education Nwajiuba said the Council approved a memorandum for the ministry in favour of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State, for construction of facilities, including hostels, at the cost of N2.7 billion.

Adesina, said Council approved contracts worth N1,709,469,671 for four federal agencies, including Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

According to him, while a total of N187.5 million was approved for procurement of operational vehicles for the FRSC, a total of N537 million was approved for NEITI’s permanent office building for its head office, and a total of N985 million for the procurement and installation of dual body scanners for four international airports in the country.

“The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) got approval to procure operational vehicles at N187,469,669.25 and that is to reduce carnage on our roads and to meet its goals of reducing accidents by at least 15% and fatalities by 20%.

“For the Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in particular also got approval to procure some vehicles for its use.

“NEITI, which is, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative was given approval to acquire a Permanent Office Building for N537,000,000 to be used as its head office. NEITI has been in a rented place.

“There was also an approval for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to procure and install four Body Dual View Scanners Solution with x-ray management software at Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Kano Airports at N985,000,002.40. You know that NDLEA has been doing wonderful things in recent times.

“Now, it has this approval to install and commission four full body dual view scanners solution with X-ray management software at those four airports; Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Kano.

“For the Ministry of Water Resources, there was approval for the revised estimated total cost for supervision consultancy contract of Ile-Ife Multipurpose Dam Project in Osun State. Those are some of the approvals at the meeting today,” he expatiated.