Key highlights
- FG says approval in view of the importance of security of lives and property such equipment has to be installed at our railway stations.
- Enugu- Onitsha project augmentation was in the sum of N17 billion which revised the contract sum to N49 billion.
- Third Mainland Bridge approval in the sum of N6.3 billion for a period of 24 months.
The Nigerian Government took one more step towards securing Nigeria’s Rail stations after a series of attacks in the past months as it approved the sum of N495 million for the installation of scanners in all the railway stations across the country.
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday.
Also approved was the N49 billion revised sum for the old Enugu-Onitsha road project.
Rail station protection
The Minister of State for Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye, in a briefing with state House correspondents, said that the installation of the N495 million camera project would strengthen security at the railway stations, he added:
- “The Federal Ministry of Transportation had two memos today, which I presented on behalf of the ministry; one had to do with the provision of scanners at all railway stations all over the country.
- “You will all agree with me that in view of the importance of the security of lives and property such equipment has to be installed at our railway stations.
- “We are starting the railways’ revolution; we are trying to put in place a lot of things in the railways; we don’t want people to come and damage all that government has been trying to put in place in that sector.
- “When people get there and they have goods, they can pass through the scanners and we can be sure that nothing can cause violence or inflicts danger or puts lives and property at stake.
Enugu-Onitsha road
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, added that the Council approved the sum of N49 billion being the revised sum for the old Enugu-Onitsha road project after the Ministry sought and obtained two approvals from the council, he added:
- “We presented two memoranda to the council; both were approved; the first is regarding 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.’’
Third Mainland Bridge
Fashola added that the second contract was a fresh contract for the maintenance of the pavement of the third mainland bridge, which would address public concerns about the presence of potholes on the bridge, he said:
- “This was approved in the sum of N6.3 billion for a period of 24 months.
- “This is in consonance with 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 bridge’s deck spanning 11 eleven kilometers 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 concentrate 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.’’
Backstory
Recall Nairametrics reported last year that The Federal Government approved plans to begin surveillance protection of rail infrastructure, announcing N718 million approval for security services and surveillance of the Abuja light rail transportation system.
