FEC approves additional N5.4bn for Enugu/Onitsha road

From left: National Security Adviser, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno; Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita; Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, during the Federal Executive Council Meeting at the Presidential in Villa in Abuja on Wednesday ( 15/8/18). 04386/15/8/2018/Sumaila Ibrahim/JAU/NAN

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday approved the augmentation of the contractual cost of Enugu to Onitsha road by N5.4 billion.

The latest approval raises the total cost of the project to N15.7 billion from N10.3 billion.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the approval while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He said the memo from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was the only one discussed at the three-hour meeting.

“His memo was the only one that survived and his memo was for augmentation of an existing road contract,” he said.

Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the augmentation will accommodate the need for erosion control measures and drains.

He said the contract, which was first awarded in 2012, is part of the series of roads captured as Umanna- Udi Agu- Ebenebe- Amansi- Awka- and spurred to Umumba road, section 2 in Enugu State.

“The contract was awarded in 2012 covering Enugu to Onitsha highway. Because of lack of appropriate budgeting and funding, all of these projects could not be completed and there were also failures in implementation, so we inherited it.

“There was also the need to provide for erosion control measures and drains and that has led to revision of the cost.

“It was that revision to enable us complete the road project that was presented, discussed and approved by the Council today,” Mr Fashola said.