The Federal Executive Council has approved various contracts worth over N80b and additional 10 new rice mills with production capacity of 100 tones per day each.
This is just as FEC also approved a Department for traditional medicine at the Federal Ministry of Health to the cure of Malaria
These were revealed by Ministers while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Minister of Works, Power and Housing , Babatunde Fashola disclosed that FEC approved additional contracts for additional facilities for the ongoing section A of the Lagos Ibadan Express way at the total of N64.108b.
The new approvals will cover the construction of bypass, pedestrian bridges and walkways to take care of various users of the road, including churches, Universities and industrial complexes located along the road.
According to Fashola, “Council approved the award of Subaila-Falala-Bini-Baku-Bauchi Road that connects Kano and Bauchi States at the sum of N4.578 billion.
“Council also approved additional works on section one of Lagos – Ibadan express way, the additional works over 43.6 kilometers at the cost of N64.108 billion which covers pedestrian bridges, toll plazas for that section so as to accommodate the changing nature of that road.
Over the years, the road has seen many new structures, including religious institutions, factories, universities, increased human activities have come up along that road.
He noted that the inherited design didn’t provide for these at all and also to modify the quality of bitumen, polymer modified bitumen, in order to deal with the heavy cargo that passes through that road.
The first section is handled by Julius Berger, while the “second section under RCC which covers over 80 kilometres will come to council to incorporate similar works including drainage works when we finish the procurement” he said
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Heineken Lokpobiri, also disclosed that FEC approved additional 10 rice mills at the total cost of N10.7b.
Each of the 10 rice mills with a total production capacity of 100 tones each, will be spread across 10 states in each of the six geopolitical zones.
The states include Bayelsa, Kebbi, Zamfara, Ogun, Anambra, Kogi and Benue, Kaduna, Bauchi and Niger States
Lokpobiri said the mills will be handed over to private sector operators.
“Today the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of ten very large rice mills to enhance the milling capacity of rice value chain in the country.
Few years ago, it was projected that the country will require a minimum of 100 large mills.
BusinessDay checks reveals that the country currently has only 21 functional rice mills.
But the Minister said Federal Government in its wisdom decided to approve the establishment of ten new rice mills at the total cost of N10.7 billion, which will be given to the private sector to manage with a pay back plans “within a given time frame as will be agreed between the Bank of Agriculture and the Rice Mills”
Only ten of the over 30 states currently producing rice in Nigeria, will benefit from the new initiatives
Lokpobiri said the ten rice mills will be located across the six geopolitical zones including Kebbi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun, Bauchi.
Health Minister, Isaac Adewole said Federal Executive Council approved the licensing agreement between the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NAPRED and May and Baker Plc.
“This is in respect of scaling up commercialisation and marketing of Niprisan, a very potent anti sickle cell drug for use in Nigeria.”
“As you might be aware, sickle cell disease is a common problem particularly among blacks in Africa, South East Asia and Latin America and it is estimated that about 25 percent of Nigerians carry the sickle cell gene and over two million people have sickle cell anemia, that is having the two genes combined.
“And for many of them, when they are under stress, take ill, what happens is invariably they develop severe bone crisis, they develop infection and some of them will die from this.
The drug was first used in Oyo State over 20 years ago and NAPRED conducted clinical trials to ensure that we are able to document that it is safe, it is efficacious and drug was licenced at an international organisation which went into bankruptcy.
“What we have done is to reactivate the product and it will now be marketed in Nigeria through this agreement and we believe that the marketing and production in Nigeria will bring a lot of comfort to millions of Nigerians who are infected with sickle cell gene.
He also announced that the Council approved the construction of a Trauma Centre at Federal Medical Centre Owerri at the cost of N840,817 million and this must be completed within 48 weeks.
According to him” We expect that it will serve as a first class centre of care for accident and trauma cases along Port Harcourt, Owerri, Enugu axis and will really change the dynamics of care in these areas.
“The approval of Naprisan is coming at the eve of an approval granted by government for us to establish a department of traditional medicine in the Federal Ministry of Health.”
“This will be the first time that this will happen and that department will really provide us the leeway to research into many of our traditional products and the first mandate of this department will be to look into cure for malaria in our forest.
The Council also approved the sum of $460million dollars for the completion of different construction projects at the Lagos and Abuja airports including passenger and cargo terminals awarded by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
