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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Following the recent flooding in the Niger Delta, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N260.5 billion as variation order for repair works and completion of various sections of the East-West Road projects.
The approval was sequel to a memorandum by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to the council presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, at the weekend.
The memorandum document dated October 27, 2022, covers the request of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for inclusion of additional works and review of unit rate for the outstanding works required to complete the East–West road projects which the President directed that the Ministry of Works and Housing be engaged to revalidate the proposal. So, following the presidential directive, the Ministry of Works and Housing constituted a Task Allocation Committee (TAC) comprising its officers and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), which conducted a site inspection on sections I – IV of the East – West Road projects from October 14 to 16, 2022 to assess the need for the augmentation and additional works to complete the projects.
Thirteen years after it was taken away from the Ministry of Works and Housing, President Muhammadu Buhari had, in May, this year, directed the MNDA, then under Senator Godswill Akpabio, which had been handling its construction to return the challenging East-West Road to the Works and Housing Ministry.
According to the memorandum, the contracts for the dualisation of East–West Road projects Sections I–IV from Warri–Port Harcourt – Eket-Oron (338 km) were awarded at different dates and are at different levels of completion.
