FEC Approves Additional N665m For Poultry Farmers In 4 States

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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved an augmentation
of N665 million for the procurement of poultry equipment for
displaced poultry farmers in Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Zamfara.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and
Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouk, disclosed this when she
briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council
meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja on
Wednesday.

She said: “Today, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster
Management and Social Development presented a memo to Council on
behalf of National Emergency Management Agency seeking the approval
of Council for the revised estimated cost and augmentation on
contracts for the procurement of poultry equipment for Borno,
Plateau, Yobe and Zamfara States that were affected by conflicts in
2019.

“This memo was earlier approved at the council meeting of
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, and the contract was not executed due
price increase and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The contractors said they won’t be able to really execute the
contract because of price increases and so we had to go back to
Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) for variations.

“We got the approval of BPP and now we came to Council and
presented the memo and the Council graciously approved the
variation.’’

The minister, who fielded questions from the correspondents,
regretted the incessant attacks on the camps of Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Reacting to the attacks on the Abagana IDP camp in Benue, which
led to the death of seven persons, the minister called for the
beefing up of security around IDP camps across the country.

She said that her ministry was working assiduously to alleviate
the suffering of the IDPs and facilitate their return to their
homes.

The minister said: “Really, a very sad development and I’m sure
the security agencies are on top of it. What I can say is that
there should be enhanced security around these areas where we have
these incessant attacks.

“For us in the ministry, we do our best to see that these
displaced people are being supported and catered for while we work
towards returning them back to their communities.”

On his part, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,
Timipre Sylva, announced that FEC approved a facility maintenance
contract for the Nigerian Content House, Yenegoa, at the cost of
N2.1 billion.

The contract was awarded to Messrs Megastar Nigeria Ltd.

Sylva stated that the other memo approved for his ministry was
for the operations and maintenance of a 10 megawatts power plant
also in Yenagoa.

“Council also graciously approved the operations and maintenance
contract for the sum of N712 million for two years.

“All the contracts that were presented today before Council were
for an initial period of two years,” he said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geofrey Onyeama, disclosed that
the Council adopted a National Diaspora Policy engineered by the
Nigerian Diaspora Commission led by the Commission’s Chairperson,
Abike Dabiri.

“This policy really is aimed at formalising and giving a
structure to the relationship between the country and government
and the Nigerians in the diaspora, of which, you know, the 17 or
more million Nigerians in the diaspora, and they constitute a very,
very important part of the Nigerian community,” he said.

According to the minister, this policy aims to promote national
development through constructive engagement with the Nigerians in
the diaspora.(NAN)