The Federal Executive Council (FEC ) on Thursday, approved N52b for eBorder solution that will enable government monitor 86 border posts and 1400 illegal entry routes.
This is just as it has been revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari will not dissolve his cabinet until 22nd May this year.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and his Interior counterpart, Abdulrahman Dambazau disclosed this on Thursday, while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo saying that President will hold a valedictory session with members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on May, 22, ahead of his inauguration.
This is ahead of Buhari’s inauguration on 29th May to begin another four year term in office.
He said the ministers as directed by President Buhari are already preparing their handover notes to be submitted to Permanent Secretaries in their respective ministries before the administration winds down completely.
According to Lai, ”we will be having a validictory session on 22nd May. The cabinet remains intact.”
Interior Minister, Dambazzau, said the eBorder process started in 2012 but later picked up , but assured that the project will be completed within the next two years.
According to him, “There is a pilot project already which has been very successful, it was installed to monitor two borders.
The project, he said, is going to cover 86 border posts in the country, with the Nigeria Immigration Service working closely with other services.
“We will be able to also monitor 1,400 illegal routes that are used for smuggling and all kinds of cross border criminal activities.
“When it comes to response, with the air force and the army units deployed near the borders, with the customs in terms of smuggling. The information will be available real-time 24/7.
Water Resources Minister, Sulieman Adamu , disclosed that FEC approved the extension of consultancy services on two priority ongoing projects.
Among the projects approved is the Igawa Dam Project In Katsina State which is 50,60 percent completed.
“Last year, we got a total reversal cost of the project and extension, aligning everything together, the supervising and consultancy services also have to be extended to correspond with the completion period.
“To that effect, Council approved augmentation of over N91 million for consultancy service supervision in favour of Messers Cosidon Consultancy Service Ltd. This now raises the consultancy fee from N125.7 million to N217.4 million.
Council also approved the Mangu Dam project which has attained about 70 percent completion.
“We also had Revise Estimated Cost Approval last year which also approved an extension period for the work. In the same vain, the consultancy period has to be adjusted to correspond to the completion period. An augmentation of N111.6 million to raise the consultancy service supervision from N104 million to N215 million with an extension period of 24 months in favour of AIM Consultants Ltd.
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, said Council also approved the award of the consultancy service contract for the provision of training services and integrated supply of starter packs for N-Creative Trainees in the Northern states of Nigeria in favour of Messers Patigon services Ltd in the sum of N652,318,104 inclusive of five percent VAT.
The training will be held in Abuja for 1,500 beneficiaries with integrated starter packs distributed to the trainees at the end of the training.
The four thematic creative areas and their respective beneficiaries, include script writing – 150, graphic illustration 375, animation – 750 and post-production -225.
“ Council also approved the award of consultants service contracts for the provision of training services and integration supply of starter packs for the N-Tech Software trainees in Southern Nigeria, in favour of UCH Ltd at the sum of N325,489 million.
“This same training has been provided for the northern states already, so this is for the southern states.
The programs which under the National Social Investment scheme, will involve the training of 2,000 beneficiaries.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
