The Abuja-Kaduna-Kano expressway, hitherto undergoing renovation, would now be completely reconstructed.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved over N809.7 billion for various projects, including the rehabilitation of the Abuja-Kano expressway.

The meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday also approved the procurement of fire fighting vehicles and equipment as well as the development of an application for design, development and management of National Social Investment Management System for the National Social Investment Programme.

Addressing journalists at the end of the meeting, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said Council approved the change of scope for the construction of Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway.

He said the road, hitherto undergoing renovation, would now be completely reconstructed, thus changing the existing cost of the project from N155 billion to N797.2 billion.

"I presented on behalf of the Ministry of Works and Housing, one memorandum and one report. The memo was with respect to the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway, which was to change the scope of works form rehabilitation previously awarded because many parts of the pavement had deteriorated, to full reconstruction of two lanes on both sides.

"The council considered and approve the request for that change of scope and the incidental cost consequence; changing the existing contract for N155 billion to N797.236 billion to provide for full reconstruction of the main carriageway, trailer parks, way bridges, toll stations and additional side lanes in the built-up areas across the FCT, Niger Kaduna and Kano Sates, which are all served by the road and this was approved by council for the same contractor," he said.

Mr Fashola listed some completely rehabilitated roads which he said would soon be handed over to include Benin-Asaba, Abuja-Lokoja, Kano-Katsina, Onitsha-Aba, Sagamu-Benin, Kano-Maiduguri, Enugu- Port Harcourt, Ilorin-Jebba and Lagos-Badagary.

The minister said the roads would be delivered "one after the other".

"So, we are dealing with 375 kilometres of roads. So the completion is going to be in phases. So the first phase will be the Kaduna - Zaria section, which is 74 kilometres that will be in quarter four of 2022," he said.

The next phase B the Zaria-Kano section, which is 137 kilometres, that should be quarter one of 2023. And the last phase will be the Abuja Kaduna section which should be in quarter two of 2023."

Others

On the procurement of fire fighting trucks, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said the council approved N10.4 billion which would also cater for other equipment for the Federal Fire Service.

He said, "The council considered and approved the procurement of various firefighting equipment. The total sum of the approval is N10, 436, 375, 340.96. The breakdown is as follows; the approval covers the supply of 44 firefighting engines, it also covers the supply of 15 water tankers, 15 rapid intervention fire engines, not conventional ones, that can go into any nook and cranny to respond to distressed calls.

"The approval also covers the supply of 20 basic life support ambulances. So, in all, we are talking about 79 firefighting equipment and support vehicles."

Mr Aregbesola said the procurement of the vehicles would enhance the capacity of the Federal Fire Service to effectively control and manage emergencies relating to fire.

The minister also appealed to state governments to also equip their own fire services, so as to complement the work of the Federal Fire Service operating in their states.

"But no matter how powerful we are, our efficiency will still be inadequate, if the sub-national or states do not develop their own capacity to support or to be the main driver in fire service, prevention and control of fire incidents," the minister said.

"As for water, I told you to ensure that there'll be no complaints of not having water tankers, the best way is for the subnational to always have their fire hydrants, fire hydrants in the locations, in the various communities, metropolis, towns and whatever we have fire engines can be connected to draw water from the public main and serve the purpose of firefighting.

"So I am ceasing this opportunity to appeal to state governments to ensure that their fire hydrants are always ready and functional for the purpose of supporting Fire Service both for the federal fire Service and their own State Fire service organisations."

The interior minister also announced that the ministry got an approval of N353 million for the deployment of an integrated real-time data repository equipment for the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja.

"The council also considered and approved the award of contract for the deployment of an integrated real-time data repository and security intelligence solution to the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters here in Abuja and the delivery period for that contract is four months at a total sum of N353, 219, 200 only," he said.

He explained that the aim is to enable the immigration Service have all its databases on one platform, for effective management of such data.

Welfare

Meanwhile, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, said the council approved the award of contract for the design, development, deployment, and management of the National Social Investment Management System for the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

She said the system is going to be used to "take care of the issues of N-Power Programme, N-SIP Programme, National Cash Transfer Programme, as well as National Home Grown School Feeding Programme".

She explained that they are immediately starting with N-Power before keying other clusters of the NSIP into the platform.

"The contract is in the sum of N2,123,035,499.96 inclusive of 7.5 % VAT with a completion period of 24 months," she said.