FEC okays N1.4bn for consultancy service

Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

The Federal Government on Thursday approved the sum of N1, 410, 207.104 billion for consultancy services in two ministries.

The approvals made during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja; were contained in four different memos presented to the council by two ministries.

Briefing State House Correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu said that the council approved the extension of consultancy services on two priority ongoing projects.

Adamu said that the Council approved augmentation of over N91 million for consultancy service supervision in favour of Messers Cosidon Consultancy Service Ltd.

According to him, this now raises the consultancy fee from N125.7 million to N217.4 million.

He said: “first, is Ingawa Dam Project In Katsina State which is 50,60 per cent completed, got a total reversal cost of the project and extension.

“The supervising and consultancy services also have to be extended to correspond with the completion period.

“The second memo is in respect of Mangu Dam project which has attained about 70 per cent 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,” the minister said.

From the breakdown, the total consultancy fee for the Ministry of Water Resources approved stood at N432.4 million.

Also, the Budget and National Planning, Minister, Udoma Udo Udoma, got approval for two memos on the National Social Investment Programme.

The first was for 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 per cent VAT.

The training, according to him, will be held in Abuja for 1,500 beneficiaries with integrated starter packs distributed to the trainees at the end of the training.

He explained that the four thematic creative areas and their respective beneficiaries distributions are as follows: script writing – 150, graphic illustration 375, animation – 750 and post-production -225.

The second memo was also under the National Social Investment Programme for 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 for the same training in the southern states.

This brings the total consultancy fee approved for the ministry of budget and National planning to N978.807 million.

The training is for 2,000 beneficiaries, he explained.