Nigerian Government approves N3.11bn for education, communication projects

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved N3.11bn for contracts in the Ministries of Education and Communication and Digital Economy.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly virtual FEC meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the First Lady’s Conference Room, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Mohammed, who spoke on behalf of the ministers of education, Adamu Adamu, and communication and digital economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said both ministers presented three memoranda.

According to him, the Ministry of Education’s memoranda sought approval to purchase an official residence for the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, as well as funding to augment the execution of five projects at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

He said, “The Ministry of Education presented two memos today. One was for the approval for the procurement of landed property for the residence of the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State.

“After the due process has been observed, including whether the seller has a title and whether it was adequately covered by C-of-O, the council approved that property be purchased for the sum of N161.25m, inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT, with the delivery period of two weeks for the official residence of the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa State.

“The second was a memo asking for augmentation on five contracts at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in Anambra State.

“The significant thing about this contract is the fact that these were contracts that were awarded by the university itself, some in 2007, some in 2010, some in 2012 and some in 2015, but due to the inability of the university to execute these projects, for reasons ranging from lack of funding to other sundry reasons, they appealed to the Federal Government to help complete the contracts.

“The contract, which was then awarded at the sum of N2.51bn, due to contract variation, cost of materials etc., has now been jacked up to N4.6bn.

In other words, the Federal Government is making available to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University the sum of N2.1bn to augment the contract, which they awarded between 2007 and 2015, which you were unable to complete.”

Mohammed added that the FEC approved a sum of N847.5m for the award of a contract for digital interconnectivity among identified ministries and other agencies of government through the Local Area Network.