The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N115.4 billion for the dualisation of the proposed Kano-Kazaure-Kongolam highway in Katsina state.

This was disclosed to newsmen after the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday

Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House correspondents alongside ministers of Information and Culture, Transportation, and Environment, explained that the project which covers 131.4 kilometres is expected to be completed within a period of 48 months.

“The Ministry of Works and Housing presented a memo for the dualisation of the Kano-Kazaure-Kongolam highway. 131.4 kilometres from a single carriage way to a dual carriage way,” he said.

“So, Council approved that proposal at a cost of N115,425, 896,907.15 kobo over 48months.

“The instructive thing is that the financing will be done by the Tax Credit Scheme of Bua International Limited. And they will use Messrs PW Construction Nigeria Limited, a company in which they have acquired some interest to undertake the construction,” said Fashola.

On his part, the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi said the Council approved two memos that had to do with the contract for sundry consultancy services for the supervision of the various railway projects in the country.

“Remember that we have about three railway projects that are yet to start construction and they include the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri, Kano-Maradi and then the Abuja-Warri,” he noted.

“For the consultancy services for supervision of Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway, with branch lines to Bonny Deep Seaport and Port Harcourt Industrial Park and then to Owerri. We have Kyari Consults SDMBHD/Jamood Global Services Limited at $97.5 million. The first one is $38.4 million.

“Consultancy services for the supervision of Kano-Katsina-Jibia-Maradi Rail-line to TEAM (Technics Engineering Architecture Marketing Nigeria Limited) and that is for $47,670,000 million. All of them are for a period of 36 months.

“The second one is that the cabinet approved a concessionairing agreement for the Ministry of Transportation to concession the Onitsha River Port to a company called Inversal Elysium Consortium. They are to manage the river port for 30 years,” he said.

Minister of State for Environment Sharon Ikeazor, on her part, said the council approved an Energy Transition Plan for the country.

“This memo was presented as a plan for Nigeria to achieve net-zero carbon emission,” the minister said, noting that “this will clearly set out the pathway for Nigeria in achieving this”.

Ikeazor further said FEC also approved a second memo to aid the Waste Battery Management Policy for Nigeria.

This policy, according to her, “will create a lot of jobs in the circular economy for Nigeria and at the same time protect the health of Nigerians to make sure that hazardous waste like waste batteries are properly disposed of with regulations, including recycling in Nigeria as well.”

She said her ministry also presented to the council, a report on the last COP 26 (the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference) which Nigeria attended, and the country’s plans for COP 27 going forward.

Minister of State for Health, Olorunimbe Mamora said the council during the closed door, also approved the award of contract for consultancy services to facilitate the building of the corporate headquarters of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Abuja.

“The need has become inevitable to expand what is on grand to improve the operational efficiency of that agency, which is the National Health Insurance Scheme and happily, the Council considered the memo approved same,” he said.