The 23rd virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the sum of N62.7 billion for the construction of Kano-Dawakin-Tofa-Gwarzo-Dariyo road in Kano State.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who announced this on Wednesday while briefing State House reporters, said the project located in Kano would be executed in 24 months.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while briefing afterward, said the FEC also approved the sum of N470,263,037 for the procurement, installation, and commissioning of fully dimensional aerodrome and approach simulator at Lagos Airport.
Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who presented a memo to the council, said the contract was awarded to Messrs Intelligent Transportation System Limited, an authorized representative of the original manufacturer, Messrs Teofex System of France, with a completion period of six months.
He said the contract became necessary in view of the increase in the number of personnel who had been recruited and trained as air traffic controllers.
“It is important to us to ensure safety in all the 32 aerodromes of the country,” he added.
Ratifies Nigeria’s membership of AfCFTA agreement
Mohammed, while also briefing on behalf of the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, said the council ratified Nigeria’s membership of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), thereby beating the December 5, 2020 deadline set for all member-states.
He recalled that Nigeria had on the 7th of July, 2019, signed the AfCTA agreement in Niamey during the 12th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) with effective date fixed for July 2020.
He said the date was postponed to the 1st of January, 2021 because of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.
“All member-states were given up to the 5th of December to ratify the agreement. That is precisely what Nigeria did today.
“The Federal Executive Council approved ratification of the membership of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement. It was ratified and as such, we beat the deadline of the 5th of December. Effectively, we hope that by 1st of January 2021, the agreement will come into force,” he added.