Following the expanded State Executive Council meeting convened by Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, the Council has approved various sums of money totaling over N30 billion for urban and rural renewal projects across the State.
Briefing journalists shortly after the Council meeting, Ibrahim Angbolo, State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, said the Council deliberated on critical issues bordering on the development of the State and approved the projects cutting across different sectors of the state’s economy.
Angbolo told journalists that the meeting equally ratified twenty decisions earlier taken by the Council.
Giving breakdown of the projects approved by the Council, Mu’azu Gosho, the State Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport, said the urban and rural renewal projects approved included the ratification and award for the contract for the construction work to commence immediately on the underpass and flyover spanning up to a kilometer in Lafia township estimated at N16.6 billion.
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“Again, within Lafia metropolis, you will see that there are link roads to the major highways that traverse the city, and to ease movement and traffic grid, Council considered a number of roads within the city for construction and approved the construction of these roads at the total sum of N2.3 billion,” the Commissioner said.
Gosho said, in a bid to give a face-lift to headquarters of the three senatorial zones in the State, the Council approved for the urban renewal of Akwanga, headquarters of Nasarawa North senatorial district.
“In view of the determination of the Government to give the three Senatorial zones headquarters face-lift, council approved the urban renewal of Akwanga by the construction and dualization of some roads linking Keffi Road from the roundabout and Lafia Road from the roundabout in Akwanga to the tune of N7.91 billion,” he said.
According to the works Commissioner, the Council expressed the need to link the ongoing Kwandere-Keffi Road with neighboring communities following which the council approved for the link road connecting the Kwandere-Keffi Road to Mada Station which is a distance of about 3km at the cost of N61.5 million.
“In a bid to improve the working environment of civil service and civil servants, the Government has decided to award contracts for the construction of a befitting secretariat.
“It’s on this note that, having awarded the contract for Phase One, Lot 1 and 2, Government saw the need to expand the project by awarding the contract for the construction of the Phase Two of the project to increase the number of buildings to be delivered, so that, it would accommodate more ministries.
“At this juncture, the Council approved the award of contract for the construction of the Phase two new Government Secretariat at the cost of N6.8 billion,” he said.
He explained that, the council equally approved for the design of the entire secretariat complex to the tune N991, 103, 506.25.
Similarly, Gosho announced that the council also approved the construction of a modern market in Doma at the cost of N971, 147, 591.77, as well as the completion of adjourning stores and warehouses in the Lafia Square.
“Government saw the need that part of the Lafia Square should be completed that would yield revenue to the state. On that note, council approved the award of contract for the completion of those structures at the tune of N263, 387,” he stated.
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Also briefing the media, State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta, announced that, with the recent upgrade from tier one to tier two under the ACReSAL Project, Nasarawa State is set to receive ten million dollars as award for its performance under the scheme.
Kwanta said, the Council deliberated on the projects under the European Investment Bank (EIB), adding that, Governor Sule has graciously approved three hundred million naira as counterpart fund to facilitate, for the state to partake in the project that is expected to takeover and complete previous projects under the defunct NewMap project.
On her part, Nasarawa State Head of Service, Abigail Waya addressed the media on the progress made so far on the minimum wage.
“As we may all be aware, there is a tripartite committee that was set up by the Federal Government. That committee is negotiating with the Federal Government on what the new minimum wage would be.
“Nasarawa State on its part, is fully committed to the welfare of civil servants and as soon as a new minimum wage is arrived at, the State Government would also negotiate with the organized labour in the state to arrive at a new minimum wage that it can sustainably pay.
“Because it’s not just about having a new minimum wage but it should be a wage that the government can pay in the long term,” the HoS stated.
