From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved over N4 billion for the construction of barracks for personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA).
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, told State House Correspondents that the approval became necessary to prevent threats and attacks on officers and men of the agency.
Malami who briefed along side his colleagues in the ministries of information and culture, agriculture and transportation said: “As you are aware, there has been renewed and sustained onslaught against drug cartels and barons over time. Within the three quarters of 2023 about 18,940 arrest were affected by the NDLEA and indeed drugs with the estimated value of over N40 billion where confiscated.
“Again, about 2,904 convictions were recorded. These successes recorded unfortunately, translated to unprecedented threats and attacks on personnel, officers, men and other ranks of the agency and then the need has arisen for the federal government to consider the possibility of taking security measures that will now provide the desired protection to the officers and men of the commission.
“So with that in mind, what was presented before the Federal Executive Council today is a memo seeking approval for the award of contract for the construction of barracks for personnel of the drug law enforcement agency.
“Accordingly, two contracts were awarded and the companies that were awarded the contract Whitchino engineering limited, for the construction of accommodation for narcotics superintendents and narcotic assistant blocks, each consisting six numbers of three bedroom, semi detached flats, 12 flats, and five blocks each, consisting 16 number one bedroom terraces flats, 80 flats total 92 flats at the cost of N2,267,785,450.83 and the second contract was awarded to JP sigma Nigeria limited in the sum of 2,889,480,320.55 and they are to construct accommodation for narcotics for superintendents and narcotics agents, two blocks each consistent six numbers, three bedroom, semi detached plots, 12 flats and 11 blocks, each consisting eight numbers two bedrooms, semi detached flats 89 flats total 12 plus 88 which makes 100 flats. So the Council memo was taken and it was accordingly approved by the Council.”
Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo said the council approved over N510 million for the construction and supply of customized Fire Service search and rescue vans for extrication of accident victims for Rivers ports, Port Harcourt, Lagos port complex, Tin Can Island port and Marina headquarters in Lagos.
He added that over $984,722,302.05 was approved by the council for the award of contract for the procurement of rolling stock operation and maintenance equipment for Kano-Maradi standard gauge rail line currently under construction.
Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Abubakar said the Council also approved the revised 2022 National Agricultural Seed Policy in line with global best practices.
“Before now we have been operating on the 2010 policy, which was revised in 2015. And we just also revised that again to the 2022. Why the revision?
For seeds, what you plant is what you reap. With the current continuous development in technology, seeds are always been upgraded standardize four to five with several vitamins. There’s also the issue of genetically modified organisms or seeds, if you will.
“So, this revision, seek to conform with global best practice in yield. Our farmers must have access to best quality seeds that have been fortified, seed that can produce the yield that will be worth their while, seeds that can produce again, the produce that come can compete in the world market. This is the basis for this particular policy.
“The implementing agency is the National Agricultural Seed Council of Nigeria. The same agency works with the department within the Ministry, also work with other agencies and MDAs that are also involved in some ways with agriculture, work with civil society organization, international agencies.
“Nigeria every year holds summit that we call Seed Connect. This is an international summit that discusses and focus on improvement development in seeds from around the globe. So seeds is really very important, very critical, as you all know, the agric sector from a great part of the GDP of this country and all that we focus on smallholder farmers.
“Someone will wonder how do they get good quality seed? We want to make sure they are priority. We distribute good quality seeds to them free. We make sure that any seed that is coming into the country also is subjected to the decentralization. We have a system that is called Codex, and we’ll make sure all seeds that will be taken to the market have these Codex, they have gone through our screening.
“This is the purpose of this policy, to make better seeds and to achieve food security. Unless have good yielding seeds we will not be able to achieve the food security you want and Nigeria with 200 million people plus and counting we need to make sure we’re on top of our game in terms of the quality of seeds of any kind of produce in this country”.