2nd Niger Bridge Ready For Commissioning, Says Federal Govt

The Federal Government has said that the construction of Second Niger Bridge is completed and now ready for commissioning before May 29, 2023.

The government also assured that the epileptic power supply witnessed in recent times in different parts of the country would soon be a thing of the past, saying that power generation and distribution will improve despite the rains that have come in now.

Speaking with State House correspondents on Wednesday after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the contractor handling the Second Niger Bridge will hand over the project on May 20.

Mohammed, who stood in for the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said that the Second Niger Bridge will be commissioned soon.

He said, “The Second Niger Bridge is ready for commissioning. The contractor will hand it over on 20th of this month, it will be commissioned soon after.”

Also briefing, the Minister of State for Power, Prince Jeddy Agba, said the Council approved two memos for his ministry.

He said the first memo was the approval for the award of contract for the procurement of 25 numbers of 33 KV circuit breakers and 120 numbers of surge arrestors for systems use for Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Prince Agba said the contract value is in the neighborhood of N140million as argumentation for that.

According to him, “The contract has been awarded before they are ongoing, but we asked for approval for revaluation due to price escalation and additional works. We’re building new sub-stations in one of the places.”

He said Council also approved the variation due to price escalation on the construction of the Dukanbo Shonga 132 KV double circuit transmission line.

Agba said: “Shonga is in Kwara State and  that line has been down for several years. So with this procurement, we should be able to revamp the station and you know it’s an agro-based area, that’s the area which service the Bacita farm.

“The Shonga farms Limited and the whole of that area has been in darkness for a long time. With this procurement, we hope that in two months, we should have full power supply to those areas and restore farming and processing activities in that area. The cost is N1.5billion.”

Asked what is the reason behind the decline in power supply, he said, “You’ll agree with me that of late, we’ve had problems with gas supplies for generational companies. We just negotiated with the gas supply companies, NNPC limited to augment gas supplies to distributors at the going local rate.

“Gas was sold to them at export rate, whose price differs and the collection is made on domestic rates. So there was a differential and the augment, however, we had an agreement with the NNPCL and and natural gas company to supply gas to GENCOs commencing from last week, and they are buying at local price, not at the export price.

“So, with that, we hope in the very near future in a week or two, we should have improved generation and supply. Distribution is going to be done by DISCOs which is why we are doing everything possible for transmission companies to have all the equipment necessary for effective transmission.

“We hope and I assure you that power generation and distribution as well will improve despite the rains that have come in now..”

FEC which considered 30 memos, approved the concessioning of the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, Abuja and the Mallam Aminu Kano international Airport in Kano.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who briefed alongside his colleagues at the end of the marathon FEC meeting, said the Abuja Airport will be concessioned for 20 years while that of Kano will be concessioned for 30 years.

The aviation minister further said that the council also approved the ministry’s change of name from Federal Ministry of Aviation to Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace of Nigeria.

Sirika said Council also approved the draft National Civil Aviation policy which he said was geared towards the strengthening of the civil aviation.

Minister of State, Transportation, Ademola Adegoroye, said the council approved the Development of Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, Expansion and Development of Snake Island Sea Port, Lagos and the Expansion and Development of Burutu Sea Port, Delta State, through a Public Private Partnership agreement worth $4,713,841,477.

Adegoroye explained that the Ondo port will cost the private  developers the sum of $1,480,465,253 and would be concessioned for a period of 50 years with the accruals to the concessionaire and the federal government expected to be $50 billion and $2.6billion, respectively.

He said the Burutu Port will cost $1,285,005,818; concessioned for 40 years with the concessionaire and the federal government expected to reap $125billion $9 billion, respectively.

The Snake Island Port will gulp $974,185,203 and concessioned for 45 years with the concessionaire and the federal government receiving $18billion and $5.23billion respectively in accruals within the period.