The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Monday, approved a sweeping portfolio of infrastructure and ecological projects across the country, including the rescoping of key federal roads, new road constructions, and the rehabilitation of dams and irrigation schemes critical to national food security.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the council meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, gave a detailed account of the approval of a series of revised and new road contracts across 13 states.
The Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr Emanso Umobong, also outlined government interventions in ecological and agricultural infrastructure.
Umahi disclosed that the Council approved the rescoping and variation of the dualisation project covering the Akure-Eta-Ogbese-Iju-Ekiti border to Ikere-Ado-Ekiti road, spanning parts of Ondo and Ekiti states.
He said, “Fifteen kilometres of the 18.438km stretch will be constructed within available funds at a revised cost of N19.407 billion.”
A similar rescoping was approved for the Sokoto-Zamfara-Katsina-Kaduna dual carriageway, a 375km project inherited from the previous administration.
“The Sokoto to Zamfara section, originally awarded for N105 billion, has now been rescoped to cover 82.4km plus six bridges, still within the same budget,” Umahi noted.
The Council also approved the segmentation of the long-pending 105km Maiduguri-Monguno road in Borno State into phases, with the first 30km awarded for ₦21 billion.
The minister emphasized that the remaining phase would be presented to FEC upon completion of the first segment.
New contracts were also awarded, including the construction of the Abakaliki-Afikpo Flyover in Ebonyi State at N25 billion and the construction of Ikoga Road and Atan-Alapoti-Ado-Odo Road in Ogun State at N37.045 billion.
Highlighting private sector collaboration and tax credit financing, Umahi revealed that the Enugu-Onitsha road project—partly funded by MTN—is being rescoped to 77km and awarded for N150 billion.
In the South-West, the remaining 96km stretch of the Benin-Shagamu-Ore road was approved for construction at a contract sum of N187 billion.
On international funding, the minister announced that the 50km 7th Axial Road project, which includes five kilometres of bridges, has secured $651.7 million in funding from China Exim Bank.
“This road is a strategic evacuation corridor for goods from the Lekki Deep Seaport, including those from Dangote Refinery and Fertiliser Plant,” he said.
The Council also ratified previously announced projects, including the Aba-Ikot-Ekpene road (N30.23 billion), the expanded shoreline protection at Ebute-Ero and Outer Marina (revised to N176.495 billion), and the rehabilitation of the Cham-Numan section of the Gombe-Yola road, now awarded in phases, with N9.253 billion approved for the first phase…
