The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the
establishment of four new private universities in the country.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this while
briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting,
gave the newly approved institutions as Greenfield University,
Kaduna; Dominion University, Ibadan Oyo State; Trinity University,
Ogun State and Westland University in Iwo, Osun State.
He said they were approved by the council having fulfilled the
criteria for establishing a new university upon the visitation by
the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Also at the briefing, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr
Ibe Kachikwu said that the FEC approved the engineering procurement
construction and installation for Opoho Okoho flexible pipelines in
OML 119 and Escravos to Lagos gas pipeline phase one for additional
unforeseen works in engineering.
He said: “The total contract sum was $3.7 billion. The essence
of this was that in 2014, the pipeline with which we were
evacuating crude in that area gave way and so production became
very marginal. We were operating an average of about twenty
thousand barrels a day as against about thirty-seven, forty
thousand barrels.
“This contract was, therefore, to replace that pipeline with a
new technological flexible pipeline. The last pipeline lasted for
only 50 years a lot of corrosive environment in which they
operated. It is a nine-month contract. When completed, we will be
able to get back production to forty thousand barrels per day.
“It is very critical and will generate close to two hundred and
seventy million dollars per annum. So it is very important.
“The second approval was on the Escravos to Lagos gas pipeline
phase one for additional unforeseen works in engineering, contract
had been given in 2008 and it was about 83 per cent complete but
additional scope has been added to that pipeline and variation of
about nine million dollars was approved today added to the previous
amount which was about five billion naira and $177 million.
“With the nine million added today, the new contract figure
comes to about five billion naira and about $186 million one
hundred and eight-six million dollars.
“That pipeline is so critical; it is what helps us move stranded
gas out of the Escravos of oil region back into the Escravos Lagos
pipeline. It is two months contract.”
On his part, Minister of State for Aviation, Hedi Sirika, said
the Council approved the contract for the procurement and
installation of the second phase of Controller-pilot data link
communications for the Kano flight information region.
It was awarded at the cost of $5,403,271 which is equivalent to
N1,652,320,271.80.
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,
said the Council approved a National Public Building Maintenance
Policy and Framework.
He said the new policy is meant to institutionalize a
maintenance culture in the country, saying that some of the
benefits of the policy would provide an inventory of government
assets and job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of
Nigerians.
He added: “We have trained artisans at different levels but we
haven’t created an economy for them to go and express themselves –
Tilers, Bricklayers, Plumbers, landscapers, fitters etc.
“When they leave training schools what do they do? They go and
ride tricycles where there is no training school because there is
an economy in tricycles – this is the answer.
“So, we have started with a pilot (scheme) to demonstrate to
Council that this will work.
“Some of the things that this will bring include an inventory of
all assets that the government owns. It gives us an assessment of
the conditions and value, then, it gives us a maintenance framework
about what needs to be done after assessments and then a
maintenance procurement manual.”
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