The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N3.7 billion for rehabilitation of Kazaure water project, N656 million for upgrading of obsolete Flight Safety Laboratory and framework for investment in the nation’s power sector.
These approvals were part of the outcome of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, who alongside the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, made this known while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council’s meeting.
Adamu said the Kazaure water project which was started in 1997 was abandoned in 2000.
However, he stated that the project would soon be resuscitated under the ongoing Federal Government’s programme of resuscitating all irrigable land across the country.
“Council today approved the memo from my ministry for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Water Supply Scheme in Kazaure, Jigawa state, at cost of N3.78 billion.
“This project came about because of the Gari Irrigation which started in 1997 but was abandoned in the year 2000.
“The works disrupted the facilities that were supplying the town with water and for 20 years the town had been without water.
“But very soon under our new programme of resuscitating irrigation projects with a view to expanding irrigable land available for irrigation in the country, the Gari irrigation project is set to commence,’’ he said.
On his part, Sirika revealed that approved upgrading of the flight laboratory was necessitated by the fact that the equipment which was established in 2012 had become obsolete.
“Today in council a memoranda from the Ministry of Transportation was taken, considered and approved to upgrade our flight safety laboratory which is being used for accident investigation purposes,’’ he said.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing said the Council also approved a framework of investment at the 33KVA and 11KVA line in expanding the national distribution network, to deliver an extra 2000 Megawatts of electricity (to consumers) which is currently not getting to the grid.
“Nigeria today has 2000MW of electricity that cannot reach consumers because of lack of distribution capacity.
“Why this is not getting to the grid is that those networks are not sufficient to support more than 5,000MW, so investments has to come in.
“While the federal government has 40 per cent shareholder and the DISCOS have 60 per cent and will be compelled to make additional investments which they were suppose to have made.
“The federal government will put its own 40 per cent and ask the DISCOS to put their own 60 per cent and other parties who are interested will have the opportunity to improve the investments. (NAN)
