TheCable

Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, says the federal executive council (FEC) has approved N29.2 billion for the completion and rehabilitation of road projects in parts of the country.

He said this on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja.

Fashola said N9.4 billion will be added to the budget for the Zaria-Funtua road linking Kaduna and Katsina states.

“Three memoranda were presented by the ministry to the federal executive council. The first one was for the augmentation of the contract of the Zaria to Funtua section of the Zaria-Sokoto-Birnin-Kebbi highway,” he said.

“The augmentation was for N9.446 billion, which will result in an increase of the contract price to a total of N16.924 billion.

“The augmentation caters for an extension of the scope of works on that section, from 26 kilometres to a total of 64 kilometres.

“It also caters for the improvement of the pavement from a laterite-based pavement to a cement-based, concrete-mixed, stone-base pavement.

“It also makes provision for extensive drainage works to accommodate increasing rain flow and flooding patterns that we have observed in the last few years. Council approved that memorandum.”

According to the minister, the ministry presented a memo on behalf of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

“FERMA requested and council approved contracts award to rehabilitate Kwayakusar-Milda Road in Borno. Value of the award is N6,271,985,441.20,” he said.

He added that over N13 billion was approved for the rehabilitation of the Uturu-Isikwato-Akara road in Abia.