The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced this Wednesday while briefing State House reporters after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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He said the 24-month repair on the 32-year-old Bridge would cover 11 kilometers including interchanges, ramps, and critical links.

He said the move aligned with Executive Order 11 signed by the President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2022, which gave legal backing to the country’s national maintenance policy.

Fashola, who said the surface maintenance would also treat potholes and restore missing guard rails, added that there are no anticipated prolonged closures during the works.

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The minister said the council also okayed N17,050,000,000 variation for the contract for the construction of the old Enugu-Onitsha road whose current sum now stands at N48,996,488,925 with an additional completion time of 42 months.

Meanwhile, Fashola has recommended that the supervision of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) be returned to the Ministry of Works from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of Federation (OSGF).

He made the recommendation while reacting to a question on why the federal government had not considered the deployment of cameras to man bridges and other places as available in other countries to forestall vandalism.

Also, FEC approved three memoranda, amounting to a total sum of N18,544,797,176 for works and purchase of operational vehicles for the Nigerian Customs Service.

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The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, announced this Wednesday while briefing State House reporters after the federal cabinet meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the work, has to do with the restructuring of the auditorium of the Service’s headquarters, as well as the operational vehicles, 337 units in number, aimed at easing work environment and to protect the personnel, motivate them and to allow them to do their job efficiently, especially across very difficult terrains.

“The first one had to do with the provision of additional seats in the auditorium at the customs headquarters in order to increase the sitting capacity so that it can be used for large events, seminars and meetings.

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“The makeup of these items are provision and installation of audiovisual system, conference hall, finishing, ground… , provision and installation of acoustic paneling and door for the auditorium, and then partitioning and doors.

Inclusive of this is additional seats at the auditorium, at the total cost of N1,257,612,549.76. This is inclusive of 7.5% VAT.

“The other two memos had to do with provision of operational vehicles for customs. One was for 177 vehicles; these are Toyota Coaster, Toyota Hiace (mid-roof), Toyota Land Cruiser Buffalo, total of N9,378,829,942.75, for this set of 177 vehicles.

“For the other one where we had a set 160 vehicles. These are Toyota Hiluxes and also Toyota Land Cruiser Buffalo, that’s 160 vehicles at a total sum of N7,908,354,685.75 and against, its inclusive of 7.5% VAT,” he said.

Also speaking, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said council approved the Metallurgical Bill 2023, which he said is like the other half of the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Policy 2023, which was also approved by Council last week.

While briefing, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammed Mahmood Abubakar, said council also approved a new policy on Agricultural Extension Service, aimed at making the practice of agriculture in the country really technology-driven and aid the drive at food and nutrition security in the country.

He also said his ministry had recruited more than 100,000 Extension Service Agents in 2022.

The Minister also disclosed, while responding to a question, that there is no food shortage in the country, assuring that the ministry would continue to support the small holder farmers, whom he said produce about 70% of the nation’s food production.

“We presented a memo today on Agricultural Extension Service in the country and the purpose is really to have a good working extension service policy. Of course, you know we do conduct researches and today the age of technology innovations, how do we get this research information to the farmers? It is done through extension service. We have Extension Service agents, which the ministry recruits from time to time. Last year, we recruited way over 100,000 Extension Service agents,” he said.⁣

(Daily Trust)