The federal government has approved a contract for the construction of the Oloibiri Oil Museum and Research Centre, the first oil well discovered in 1958 in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, announced this Wednesday in Abuja while briefing State House reporters after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said the project which had been on the drawing board for so long had a foundation stone laid for the first time in the early 1980s by late President Shehu Shagari.
The minister said the contract was awarded to Messrs Julius Berger PLC at the sum of N117 billion with a completion timeframe of two and a half years. He said this is a major milestone and is expected to be a major legacy of the president in the Niger Delta.
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Also briefing, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said the FEC approved N721,266,733.64 for maintenance and technical support at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.
He said the contract awarded to CCECC was expected to be completed within a period of 12 months.
Answering questions on when the national carrier, Nigeria Air, would begin flight operations, the minister said the federal government was already tidying up the initial processes, adding that it is just a matter of sealing the last move in obtaining the Air Operator Certificates (AOC) and the carrier will start flying.
“Nigeria Air will soon start flying; we have got the aircraft ready. They are painted in the colours. We have crossed all the Ts and dotted the Is. We are at stage five of the AOC issuance by the NCAA. Once that is done, the airline will begin to fly.
“So, there are five stages; we’ve done stages 1,2,3,4 and we are now at stage five. Once the AOC is given, the aircraft is ready to start to fly. Well, the issuance of the AOC is in the hands of the NCAA, but I know it will be very soon, with an emphasis on soon. So as soon as we get the AOC, then we fly,” he said.
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