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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved contract for the construction of the $39.9 million Cameroon-Nigeria border link bridge.
Similarly, it has approved the Revised National Policy on Environment for the country.
The approvals were given at Wednesday’s Council meeting presided over by the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; Environment, Amina Mohammed; and Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, briefed State House correspondents of the after meeting.
Fashola, who spoke on the issue said the council approved the memorandum for the construction of Cameroon-Nigeria Border link-bridge, at Ikot Efiom with the support of the African Development Bank.
According to him, the project would improve the relationship between Cameroon and Nigeria post-International Court of Justice’s judgement over Bakassi.
The bridge is part of the link road between Enugu-Abakiliki Way which is already completed and also forms part of larger Lagos-Mumbasa Highway.
He said that the $38 million is for the construction contract and $1.9 million for the consultancy and this was done under ADB procurement guidelines.
The council also approved the resuscitation and completion of the Kaduna Eastern Bypass highway, which was started in 2002 and was initially planned to have been completed within three years.
Fashola said this road is a 50 kilometre highway and dual carriage way with nine bridges over rivers and rail crossings.
He added: “The project which was first awarded in 2002 was N16 billion. We have had to get approval for N22 billion verbatim and so that takes that project cost now to N32 billion
“The contractor was paid N5.5 billion in 2002. If we had paid the contractor N11 billion then when exchange rate was N109, it would have fetched us $96 million. If you multiply $96 million today even at official rate of N305, it is now N29 billion,” he explained.