By Marcus Ikechukwu
The Federal Government on Wednesday approved a contract to an indigenous motor company, Innoson, to supply 21 vehicles to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).
Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this to newsmen at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at Aso Rock Villa.
He confirmed that the “contract was in favour of Messrs Innoson Manufacturing Company at N660,422,220, and it’s made up of 20 pick-up vehicles and 1 City Bus”.
According to him, “it is in the spirit of encouraging our local industries that the contract was awarded to Innosons Motors”.
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, also secured approval from FEC for the provision of broadband infrastructure for micro-small medium enterprises and also tertiary and higher learning institutions across the six geo-political zones.
“The administration is passionate about deepening the broadband infrastructure, and that contract was awarded to various companies for N16, 709, 853,000”, said Mohammad.
Also, the Ministry of Communications was given approval for the procurement, installation and upgrading of new IT communications equipment and furniture for emergency communication centres all over the country. That was awarded for the sum of N668 million.
There was also the ratification of the International Labour Organisation Migrant Workers Supplementary Provision with Nigeria ratifying the 1975 Convention by the FEC following a memo from the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige.
Mohammed further announced that “there is also the memo from the Minister of Science and Technology for the approval of the Draft National Policy on Welding.
“This is again to ensure that small and medium scale industries get necessary skilled labour. As it is today, most of our welders come from neighbouring countries, which is the national policy to bridge that gap.
“There is a memo presented by the Minister of Works and Housing seeking the approval of the revised estimated total cost of the contract for the construction of Patigi-Ada Road in Kwara State, and the contract is for augmentation to the total sum of N1.192 billion, which will jerk the original contract from N4.3 billion to N5.5 billion.
“There was an approval for a revised estimated cost of the contract for the rehabilitation of Kotangora-Rijau-Tunganmagajiya road section 2, phase 1 in Niger state.
“Here the contractor was seeking revised cost in the sum of N2.8 billion, taking the total contract sim to N6.5 billion.”
