…holds valedictory session for outgoing environment minister
The federal executive council on Wednesday approved the sum of N38 billion for the resuscitation and completion of the Kaduna eastern bypass highway .
This is just as the council held a valedictory session for the outgoing minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed who was appointed last year as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa,Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola disclosed that the Kaduna eastern bypass project when it was first awarded in 2002 was N16 billion, the ministry had to get approval for N22 billion which brings the total project cost to N38 billion.
Fashola said, “We also presented a memo for the resuscitation and completion of the Kaduna Eastern bypass highway, which was started in 2002 and was initially planned to have been complete within three years but 15 years after, it remains uncompleted.
“Council also approved the programmes to complete now and is a 50 kilometre highway and dual carriage way with nine bridges over rivers and rail crossings there.
“The project was first awarded in 2002 was N16 billion, we have had to get approval for N22 billion verbatim and so that takes that project cost now to N38 billion. The contractor was paid N5.5 billion in 2002, if we had paid the contractor N11 billion then when exchange rate was N109 it would have fetched us $96 million, if you multiply $96 million today even at offices, rate of N305 is now N29 billion.”
He also disclosed that his ministry presented a memo to construct the Cameroon-Nigeria border link bridge, at Ikot Efiom under the African Development Bank support for improving relationship between Cameroon and nigeria post the ICJ judgement over Bakassi and council approved that bridge.
” Is part of the link road between Enugu Abakiliki way which is already completed and part of larger Lagos-Mumbasa Highway. $38 million for the construction contract and $9 million for the consultancy and this was done under ADB procurement guidelines ” he added.
On her part,Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed said her ministry took a memo to council for the Revised National Policy on Environment which was first formulated in 1991 and last revised in 1999. The second revision is 2017.
According to her, It has become imperative that they have this new policy framework because what they really wanted to do is to capture some of the emerging issues that has come since then as regards to environment.
These concerns ,she listed such as climate change, coastal erosion, desertification, erosion, pollution and insecurity which has been exacerbated by the struggles for environment resources, we see this in country at all levels.
“What the policy does is to look at all the different inter-sectoral issues that we have whether it is with water, health, power agriculture and bring them in to have a multi-sectoral response.
“So this new policy framework that was approved today, puts I place a much better opportunity to engage with states, local governments and communities and executing the priorities of the Change agenda.”
Asked how Nigeria will benefit from her position at UN, she said ;In tangible terms Nigeria as a member has signed on many resolutions which should give us those partnerships to bring resources and expertise on development agenda, climate change agenda, these brings different aspects that will form our priorities.