FEC approves N12bn for construction of section II of Ohafia–Arochukwu Road

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N12 billion for the construction of the Section two of the Ohafia to Arochukwu road in Abia.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this at the end of the Council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.

He said: “The memorandum presented by the Ministry of Works and Housing today is for the Section two of the Ohafia to Arochukwu road.

“This section comprises Umuahia/Bende/Ohafia road in Abia State and it was approved for construction at N12.088 billion comprising a distance of 45 kilometers to complement Section One which was previously awarded in 2018, that is the section from Bende/Arochukwu to Ohafia which was 19.27 kilometers.

“So with this award now, the entire length of the road is now under contract with the same contractor and we hope for expeditious execution.’’

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, also said that the Council approved the purchase of 52 operational vehicles for effective operation of the Nigeria Correctional Service.

He said: “We considered in the Council the award of contract for the procurement of 52 number operational Black Maria vehicle to facilitate effective operation in the Correctional Service as well as ease of movement of awaiting trial inmates from the Custodial centres, 247 of them in all to about 5,022 courts in Nigeria.”

“This is to compliment what we have already acquired between 2016 and 2019 of about 451 Operational Green Maria vehicles.”

“The objective is to ensure that the delay associated with trial of inmate is reduced if not eliminated.”

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, also disclosed that the council approved N745 million for hiring of additional forensic field auditors for the audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

“The memo that was presented by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was a concluding memo on the procurement of Field Forensic Auditors for the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission and today the council approved additional forensic field auditors at a total sum of about N745.2 million.”

“This brings to the total number of field forensic auditors to 16 in addition to the earlier approved Lead Forensic Auditors, messrs Olumiluwa Bashir and Co.”

“These people are now going to be in charge of the nine states of the Niger Delta which has been divided into 16 lots. As I stated earlier, lots one is Ernst and Young for the headquarters.”

“They will be undertaking the 19 years of audit and also bring out the organogram for restructuring of the NDDC for better performance in future.’’

He said the Council also approved the need to attach investigative security agencies, the relevant ones to each of the team to ensure transparency in the exercise.

According to the minister, this will ensure that whatever comes out of the forensic audit is acceptable not just in Nigeria but to the international community.