The Government of Nigeria has approved N52.97bn for projects in the Education, Works and Housing, and Aviation ministries. The announcement was made by the respective ministers to State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council Meeting, which was chaired by the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, and held in the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja.
The projects include the completion of Phase 2 of the Uto Bridge, a 2.6 km-long bridge in Ikenke, Delta State. Other projects are the National Library of Nigeria headquarters building complex in Abuja and the procurement and installation of radar signaling equipment in nine airports across the country.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohamed, spoke on behalf of his counterpart in the Ministry of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola. He revealed that the first memo presented at the meeting was seeking approval for the completion of Phase 2 of the Uto Bridge. The project was initially awarded in 2006, and the government is committed to completing it. The FEC approved N1.398bn to revise the contract from N4.44bn to N5.84bn, inclusive of 7.5 percent VAT, to ensure that the project is completed before the administration leaves office.
Mohamed also disclosed that the Minister of Works and Housing sought approval for the ongoing bypass along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. He added that the Kano-Zaria which is 137km and Zaria-Kaduna that spans 73km, would be handed over to the government on May 15. Furthermore, the Second Niger Bridge and the 116km Lagos-Ibadan expressway with toll gates will be handed over on April 30.