The Federal Executive Council FEC approves N10.5 billion for repair of Hadejia-Nguru road

The Federal Executive Council FEC this Wednesday  approved a N10.5 billion contract for the repair of Hadejia-Nguru spanning Jigawa and Yobe States.

Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri, announced this to newsmen after the weekly  FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

Shehuri explained that the contract is for rehabilitation of the first phase of the road, which is about 30 kilometres. The job was awarded to the civil engineering company, Mothercat.

Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, also announced another contract of N14.5 billion for Gari irrigation projects to serve Jigawa and Kano states.

Accorxing to him ,the irrigation project, which was abandoned at 50 percent completion in the year  2000, is one of the 116 abandoned projects inherited in the Ministry.

He said the project is among the top priority project because it will increase irrigation hectarage in the country by over 2,000 hectares, with a target of 100,000 hectares by 2020.

Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh also informed that locusts and quella birds from neighboring Niger Republic have invaded farms in parts of Borno and Adamawa States.

He revealed however, that efforts of his Ministry to curb the destruction by aerial spraying insecticides on affected farms and areas had been hampered by warnings from the Nigerian military about security concerns.

According to him, the military warned that Boko Haram terrorists operating in those areas could shoot down the airplanes spraying the chemicals over the farms.

On his part, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said his Ministry has stepped up treatment for Hepatitis C disease for members of the armed forces following the increasing number of carriers of the virus during army recruitment exercise.

He also highlighted all nine memos/proposals presented by the Ministry and approved by the FEC since January 2016.