FEC approves N3.47b surveillance aircraft for Customs

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday, approved the sum of N3.47b for the purchase of surveillance caravan aircraft for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)

Clement Agba, minister of state, budget and national planning, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing State House journalists after the weekly FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

Agba noted that the caravan aircraft will cost N3.47bn and will be delivered in 12 months. “This will help to combat smuggling and provide surveillance,” he said.

He said FEC also approved the augmentation of contract for the construction of offices and training centres for the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) in Abuja and Lagos at a cost of N46.141bn
Babatunde Fashola, the minister of works and housing, said that FEC also approved N6.97bn for the Ikorodu to Shagamu road augmentation

Fashola added that FEC also approved a memo for FERMA project a statutory agency under the ministry
The council also approved the augmentation of the Potiskum to Damaturu lot 4, by N2.577bn

The FEC also approved the second phase of the N1.5trn construction of 11 federal roads under phase 2 of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), under the tax credit scheme.

The council also approved the construction of the Senate building for the Federal University of Ila-Orogun for the ministry education, at the cost of N2.1bn.

Other projects approved for the ministry are the purchase of 13 ambulances for selected federal unity schools at the cost of N620.98m.

Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment, disclosed that the council approved the amendment of the Nigeria labour laws to make them concurrence to the international standards.

Read also: Afriland shareholders approve N137 dividend

Also fielding questions from journalists, Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, explained why President Muhammadu Buhari failed to intervene in the Adamawa State gubernatorial election crisis.

Mohammed said Buhari did not intervene because the responsibility to deal with the infraction by the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari, rests with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to him, President Buhari did not intervene in the Adamawa State election crisis because he does not micromanage any institution of the government.

Recall that Ari, the suspended Adamawa resident electoral commissioner prematurely awarded the election victory to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, even when collation of results had not been completed on the exercise.

But pressed to give the reaction of the Federal Government to the matter, Mohamed said: “I don’t think that this government has ever intervened in the way the Independent National Electoral Commission conducts its elections.

“So, there’s no need for us to intervene. It was an entirely INEC matter and INEC handled it.
“The chairman of INEC is in charge of all employees of INEC and he’s handling it. So, what do you want the government to do?”

The minister also explained why he accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, of committing treason, saying that if his running mate had called for insurrection and he did not react, he was guilty as charged.

Asked why he accused Obi of treason during his recent trip to the United States, he said: “What I said about Mr Peter Obi is very clear. I said Mr Peter Obi has every right to seek redress in court like the Labour Party. But nobody has the right to call for insurrection or to say that if the president-elect is sworn in, that will be the end of democracy.

“That was precisely what the running mate of Mr Peter Obi said on live television. And I have not heard Peter Obi rein him in or correct him.

“So, if your running mate said something, of course, he is saying it on behalf of the party and that of the candidate.

“That’s why it’s an act of treason for anybody to say if a duly elected president in Nigeria is sworn in, that will be the end of democracy.

“It’s treason for anybody to say if you swear in a duly elected president, you’re swearing in the military. It is crazy. So, I don’t see anything controversial in that.”

Also speaking at the briefing, the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said he was not aware that the comptroller-general of Immigration, Idaho Jere Idris, had been removed.

Report had emerged earlier in the day that the Immigration boss had been asked to leave office following the expiration of his initial extended one-year tenure. But when asked to clarify the matter, Aregbesola said: “It is Greek to me.”