FG okays N64bn for work on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

* Approves N10.7bn rice mills, to fight erosion with N10bn
*Okays N840.8m trauma centre for FMC Owerri
The Federal Government has approved N64.108bn for additional work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, to be done on Section 1 of the road.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) disclosed this to State House correspondents on Monday at the end of a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Fashola said the additional work would cover pedestrian bridges as well as toll plazas for that section in order to accommodate the changing nature of the road.

He said, “The council approved additional works on Section one of Lagos – Ibadan Expressway. The council approved additional works on over 43.6km for N64.108bn which covers pedestrian bridges and toll plazas for that section so as to accommodate the changing nature of that road.

“Since its conception, so many new structures: religious institutions, factories, universities, increased human activities have come up along that road.

“The inherited design didn’t provide for these at all. The additional work is 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. The second section under RCC which covers over 80km will come to council to incorporate similar works including drainage works when we finish the procurement.”

Fashola said the council also approved the award of Subaila-Falala-Bini-Baku-Bauchi Road that connects Kano and Bauchi States at N4.578bn.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Heneiken Lokpobiri, said the council approved new 10 rice mills for the country at a cost of N10.7bn.

He listed the states where the mills will be located to include Kebbi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and Bauchi.

Each of the mill, he said, will have capacity to produce 100 tonnes of rice per day.

According to him, the private sector will manage the 10 mills.

The minister said, “Today, FEC approved the establishment of 10 very large rice mills to enhance the milling capacity of rice value chain in the country.

“Few years ago, it was reported that this country needs a minimum of 100 large mills. As at today, we have about 21 but the Federal Government in its wisdom decided that today we should approve the establishment of 10 new rice mills at the total cost of N10.7bn.

“This will be given to the private sector to manage which will be paid back within a given time frame as will be agreed between the Bank of Agriculture and the Rice Mills.

“The states will be 10. You know in Nigeria, over 30 states are growing rice, in today’s memo, the 10 rice mills will be located across the six geopolitical zones including Kebbi, Zamfara, Benue, Kogi, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun and Bauchi.

“The capacity of the rice mills is 100 tons per day each.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed that N10bn was approved to fight erosion in the country.

He also said that $460m was approved to facilitate usage of new buildings located at airports.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, announced the approved the licencing agreement between the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development and May and Baker Plc.

This, he said, was in respect of scaling up commercialisation and marketing of Niprisan, a very potent anti sickle cell drug, for use in Nigeria.

Adewole said, “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.

“This 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.”

The Health Minister added that the council also approved the construction of a Trauma Centre at Federal Medical Centre Owerri at the cost of N840.8million.

He said the Centre would be completed within 48 weeks.

“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,” he added