FEC approves N797.2bn for Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road

The Federal Executive Council has approved the change of scope for the construction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

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Fashola said the road, hitherto undergoing renovation, would now be completely reconstructed, thereby changing the existing cost of the project from N155 Billion to N797.2 Billion.

He said: “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 from 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 797.236 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 States, which are all served by the road and this was approved by the council for the same contractor.”

He listed the roads rehabilitated, which 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.

Asked the exact time the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway road will be delivered, Fashola said: “We are dealing with 375 kilometres of roads.

“So, the completion is going to be phased. So, the first phase will be the Kaduna – Zaria section, which is 74 kilometres that will be in quarter four of 2022.

“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.”

Humanitarian Affairs

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

She said: “This 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.

“We are starting with N-Power, which is the one before us.

“It is very immediate. Afterwards, we will key other clusters of the National Social Investment Programme into this platform. The Council has graciously approved and we will go ahead.

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