By Timothy Choji, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council has approved twenty-one billion naira for the rehabilitation of some roads in the country.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola revealed this while briefing Journalists on the outcome of this week’s cabinet meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fashola said Yobe, Edo and Taraba States would benefit from the projects managed by the Federal roads Maintenance Agency FERMA.
He said: “During the meetings of the Economic Sustainability Committee set up to manage the impact of COVID-19, one of the responsibilities of FERMA is to execute extensive labour works on road repairs and the budget of 2020 was then amended to deal with COVID-19 impact.
“As a result of that, FERMA then had a total of 191 road repairs, road rehabilitation, road intervention projects nationwide. 92 of those projects have been awarded by FERMA at its threshold level. 89 of them have been approved by the ministry at the ministerial tenders’ board threshold level. So, all of those projects are now being issued letters of award, mobilization, and others.
“Now, there are 10 that are required to come to the Federal Executive Council because of their financial threshold level. Out of those 10 projects, three were presented today. So, those three presented and approved by council today was for Gasamu-amshi-Gogoram road in Yobe State for N14.528billion, the link road connecting Uneme-Tusamu-Odoga to Okpekpe in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State for N991.851million, and Mamabu Donga Local Government Area road in Taraba South Local Government Area of Taraba State for N6.397 billion.”
Fashola said the three projects approved by the cabinet are late third quarter, early fourth quarter interventions to respond to the COVID-19 impact on the economy.
Nnenna.O
