FEC Approves Maritime University in Delta
Okays N30.98bn for roads
Jaiyeola Andrews The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved the first Nigerian Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Warri, Delta State.
It also approved N30.8 billion for roads in Delta, Ondo and Bayelsa States.
At the FEC meeting which was presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, the council ratified a provisional licence for the establishment of the university.
This was disclosed by the Ministers of Information, Patricia Akwashiki; Interior, Abba Moro; Niger Delta, Steve Oru; State for Industry, Trade and Investment, who jointly briefed State House correspondents after the FEC meeting.
Akwashiki said: “There was also approval of a report of the ministerial implementation committee on harmonisation of taxes and levies across the federation, because we have the issue especially of service providers, who, when they move from one state into another, they are also levied by the new state and local governments.
“There was a ministerial committee and the report has been harmonised and approved by the FEC.”
On his part, Moro who commented on the international passport, said: “The contract for Irish Technology was renewed for a period of four years for the production of 10million e-passport booklets in their various categories. 32 page, 62 pages, and their counterpart of diplomatic and official passports.
“The renewal is as a result of subsisting agreement between the ministry of interior and the Irish Smart Technologies Limited, an indigenous company that has been since 2007 involved in the production of e-passport and related travel documents for the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), even before I became the minister of interior.
“I am not sure that it is because no other organisation can do the job that the contract was awarded to Irish Technology. They have performed very well and we have looked at all the perimeters of the agreement and agreed that the period under review, they have performed very well.
“Within the period, they have been able to generate N51 billion onshore and within the period under review, they have been able to generate for the government of Nigeria through the sale of passport and ancillary travel documents the sum of $5million offshore.
“Nigerians dealing with the NIS are satisfied by our survey that they performed very well, and on the part of the government in terms of revenue generation and quality of travel documents and the international identity and integrity of travel documents, they have done very well, and that is why we renewed the contract which is completely contractor financed. Each production cost N693, 8kobo.”
Kobani, while briefing at the meeting, noted that council approved the revised national policy on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
He said MSMEs were strategic and important functionaries in any economy, adding that they are catalysts to employment creation and poverty alleviation.
“The first national policy was 2007 and there were problems at that time because a lot of stakeholders needed to buy into it.
“This time, a more holistic approach was taken to ensure that extensive consultation with all the stakeholders had to take place and they all endorsed this particular one, and so as a result of that, they also came with a recommendation that will replace the National Consultative Council with the National Council for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to ensure that it will be a major contributor to the economy,” he added.
Niger Delta Affairs minister said the council ratified contracts which were earlier given anticipatory approvals by President Jonathan sometimes around the end of last year in his ministry.
He added that his ministry got four projects ratified by FEC, saying one had to do with the construction of Zara,a-OkodiaIseni road in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
“The other one has to do with the construction of Agadagba-Akotokpo-IsayaOvia river bridge in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State, the construction of Ofagbe Udeze-Ozoro road with a spur from Ovwie to Aba road in Isoko North, Isoko South Local Government Areas of Delta State and the construction of Amasoma-Egbedi road in Okolouma Okpokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State,” Oru said.
He added that: “The construction of Zarama-Okodia Iseme road in Yenagoa was awarded in favour of Merssrs Eneko Nigeria Limited with the sum of N5. 923 billion with a completion period of 18 months; the construction of AgadagbaAkotoko -Iyasa-Ovia road and bridge in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State in favour of CGC Nigeria Limited with the sum of N15.628 billion, while the construction of Amasoma-Egbedi road in Kolokuma Okpokuma in Bayelsa State in favour of Merssrs Dantu Construction Nigeria Limited in the sum of N2.767 billion with a completion period of 18 months.”