By Williams Anuku
Ahead of lifting ban on flight operations in Nigeria, owing to the outbreak of Covid-19, the Federal Executive Council has approved the sum of N1.659,596,908.78 billion for consultancy services for pri-contract services for the design and construction of Abuja’s second runway.
The new project has a completion period of 12 months according to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
While giving a breakdown of how the project would be, he said the contract was given to a consortium of consultants comprising two international and one Nigerian consultants.
He said the contract sum includes seven percent of VAT and an exchange rate for the dollar component of $360 to one.
“What I want to assure the public is that a lot of work has been done in this procurement of consultancy services. It will be fast-tracked and it is the intention of the ministry to conclude before the end of the year, so that the balance of money that we have in the budget, we can appoint a contractor and commence the construction of the second runway, we hope to conclude the second runway if awarded before the end of the life of this administration.”
The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said FEC approved N8.14 billion for the reactivation and completion of Farim Ruwa multipurpose dam in Wamba local of Nasarawa State.
He said the project was started by the Nasarawa State government in 2013 but the state government in 2018, requested the federal government to take over for completion.
He said President Buhari approved the project, a multipurpose dam project with provision for water supply, irrigation and 20 megawatts hydropower station.
Suliaman said: “All we intend to do at the federal level is to complete the dam and then hope that we can get concessioner to takeover the component of the hydropower, which includes the construction of the power house, the turbines and the transmission lines. The contract sum is N8.14 billion inclusive of all taxes with the completion period of 24 months.
It comprises of the completion of the dam embankment, spring lay and outlet works for the water supply and hydropower component, 20 kilometers of access road and rehabilitation of some service quarters”.
