.N6bn for maintenance of Lagos Third Mainland Bridge
.FG plans to install luggage scanners in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano railway stations
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N49 billion being the revised sum for the old Enugu-Onitsha road project.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, briefed State House correspondents after FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Fashola said his ministry sought and obtained two approvals from the council.
“We presented two memoranda to council; both were approved; the first is with regards to contract cost revision by way of augmentation for the old Enugu-Onitsha road from Opi junction all the way to Udi-Oji to Anambra border in Enugu State.
“The augmentation was in the sum of N17 billion which revised the contract sum to N49 billion with an additional completion time of 42 months.’’
The minister said that the second contract was a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge.
He said that maintenance would address public concerns on the presence of potholes on the bridge.
“And this was approved in the sum N6.3 billion for a period of 24 months.
“This is consonance with the Executive Order 11 signed by the president for the continued maintenance of public infrastructure.
“This contract responds to the questions on potholes that have become manifest on the entire pavement of the deck of the bridge spanning 11 eleven kilometres and the interchanges—Adeniji Adele, Adekunle and Gbagada ramps that all link the bridge; this is for the resurfacing of all that.
“Those who are familiar with the bridge will recall that all of these failures were not this manifest on the bridge as at the time we did some work; and the work that we did concentrated largely on the sub-structure of the bridge—the piles, the underwater piles; the pile caps and also the replacement of the expansion joints and the bearings.’’
According to him, the maintenance works are critical to the structural integrity of the bridge.
He said that the maintenance work would restore the driving surface and the aesthetics.
“Some of the rails that have been stolen; some of the planes that have misaligned at the ramps that lead you on and off the bridge.
“So, this is the work that is being done now; so all the experience, avoiding potholes on the bridge; this project will tackle that,’’ he said.
Also, The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved the procurement and installation of luggage scanners in all railway stations in Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
They include eight colour imaging X-ray scanners, eight body scanners metal detectors and 50 handheld scanners.
The Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye, who briefed State House correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting, said the procurement would cost N498m.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Adegoroye said the new installation was part of the FG’s ongoing program to enhance railway transport safety.
The Buhari regime said it had aggressively developed Nigeria’s railway infrastructure nationwide.
However, with that expansion came security concerns with several episodes of reported armed robbery incidents, kidnapping, and terrorist attacks in the past two years.
On Monday, March 28, 2022, terrorists linked to the Boko Haram sect attacked a Kaduna-bound train leaving eight passengers dead and kidnapping at least 41.
Consequently, the Nigerian Railway Service halted all train services along the Abuja-Kaduna route for eight months.
Operations resumed in January 2023 amidst tight security and more scepticism among passengers.
Adegoroye who spoke on Wednesday said the devices were necessary due to the need to secure lives and property on the rail.
“So, today there was a memo before the Council for the provision of baggage scanners at railway stations and I’m happy to inform you that the Council agreed with us and has approved that contract for scanners to be installed at railway stations so that when people get there and have goods, then they can pass through the scanners and they can be sure that there’s nothing that can destroy, that can cause violence or inflict danger or bring lives and property at stake.
“You’ll all agree with me that in view of the process of securing lives and property, such equipment has to be installed at our railway stations.
“Since we’re starting the railway revolution, we are trying to put in place a lot of things with the railways. We don’t want people to come and damage all that the government has been trying to put in place in that sector,” he explained.
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FG, stakeholders partner to decongest custodial facilities
The Federal Government has expressed its readiness to partner with relevant stakeholders to decongest correctional facilities in Nigeria.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the disclosure during a round table conversation with Prisoner Rehabilitation And Welfare Action and representatives of donors today in Abuja.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Afonja Ajibola, on Wednesday.
Aregbesola said correctional centres in the country are highly congested with inmates awaiting trials, those on death rolls, those unable to pay debt and fines and some on minor offences.
According to the minister, the number of people in jail houses as first offenders is less than 20%.
He said “Correctional service has no power over inmates. Whoever the Judiciary ask them to keep, they keep.
“Our role is for safe custody of the inmates and also to advise the government.”
While appreciating the stakeholders for their support, Aregbesola implored them to collaborate with the Federal Government by contributing not only financially but technically and intellectually in order to decongest the custodial centres.
He said most of the inmates currently in custody are inmates, who committed state offences which the President has no right to release, revealing that the President has approved a bill that moves correctional service to the concurrent list.
The Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Halliru Nababa, said that the number of inmates in custodial facilities all over the country is far above the number of facilities available.
Nababa, who was represented by the DCG, Amad Tukur, disclosed that the custodial facility in Port Harcourt which is supposed to accommodate 800 inmates presently has over 4000 inmates, adding that Correctional Service is ready and will appreciate any support to help decongest the custodial centers.
