TheCable

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved N11.8 billion for the procurement of equipment and setting up of a firefighting trucks, and aircraft maintenance centres in Katsina state and Abuja, respectively.

The council gave the approval on Wednesday at a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said the approval was critical as it would enable the ministry attend to issues with fire tenders in the country.

“We got approval for the award of contracts for the establishment of a fire truck maintenance and refurbishment centre in Katsina state and this is a very critical procurement for us,” Sirika said.

”It is to attend to all the issues we are having with fire tenders all over the country.

“Past governments used to shift this firefighting equipment back to Europe where they were manufactured, just to get them refurbished and brought back at a cost and time; thus exporting our labour and foreign exchange.

“But the Buhari government decided that we should establish one of such centres.

”The approval was for N7, 913, 949, 964, inclusive of 6.5 percent value added tax (VAT).”

Sirika said when fully established, the centre would cater for aviation firefighting trucks as well as other heavy-duty vehicles.

”That centre will cater for aviation firefighting equipment including all other firefighting equipment around the country,” the minister said.

”In fact, it is not going to be limited to firefighting but it will be for heavy-duty vehicles that could be maintained.”

Further speaking, Sirika said with time, as the workers in the centre gain experience, the centre will go into assembly of such trucks in Nigeria and eventually begin to manufacture such vehicles locally.

He added that N3, 985, 432, 685 was approved for the construction of the building that would house the maintenance centre.

The minister also disclosed that the ministry got approval for the full business case for the establishment of a maintenance and overhaul facility in the country, where aircrafts would be maintained in Nigeria.

“In this particular case, we will be doing the maintenance of aircrafts here, once the facility is established,” he explained.

”This business case is for 30 years and a consortium will carry out the work and they will be paying a fixed fee of $30,000 in the first year with annual escalation rate of 3 percent payable annually and in advance.”