The Federal Executive Council (FEC) wednesday in Abuja approved
the appointment of Olumuyiwa Bashiru & Co. to coordinate the
forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC).
The approval of the firm for appointment was sequel to the
presentation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to the council
by the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Akpabio said the council
approved N318 million for the engagement of the firm, whose
responsibilities, he said, was to bring nine forensic auditors to
audit the commission in line with the demand of nine governors of
the oil-producing states whom he said had visited President
Muhammadu Buhari last year and demanded for the audit of the
organisation.
Akpabio said the company would work with both the Ministry of
Niger Delta and the interim committee earlier set up on the
activities of the NDDC.
In his own briefing, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osage Ehanire,
said two people suspected to be infected by Coronavirus had tested
negative to the disease, saying the situation implies that the
deadly disease, which broke out in China last month is not in
Nigeria as well as the entire continent of Africa.
According to him, as a precautionary measure against the
outbreak of the disease in Nigeria, all passengers flying into the
country must be screened by camera and his travel history looked
into.
Ehanire disclosed that the country got the required machine to
carry out diagnosis on the disease eight days ago.
He also said three laboratory centres had been designated to
carry out tests on the disease in three places in the country.
Ehanire who listed the three places as Irrua in Edo State, Abuja
and Lagos, added that Nigeria was lucky to have had no one infected
with the disease entering into the country.
He also disclosed that China now carries out exit screening for
passengers leaving the country with the intention of stopping any
of its nationals suspected to have contacted the disease from
exporting it to another country.
Also briefing, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde
Fashola, said the council approved N867.263 million for engineering
design of additional lanes on Abuja – Kano highway project.
According to the minister, the project that is already under
construction is an expansion of a hitherto four-lane highway to six
lanes adding that the new design includes six bridges on the
365-kilometre road.
In the same vein, the Minister of State for Transportation,
Gbemisola Saraki, said FEC approved N1.482 billion for a contract
on 180 marine vendors to Messrs AG Vision Nigeria Limited to
cushion the effect of ships’ arrival from the seas.
According to her, existing vendors had been damaged and need to
be repaired while new ones also need to be bought.
She also said another N144 million was approved by the council
for the extension of consultancy services for the rehabilitation of
Tincan Island Port in Lagos State, explaining that the contract
which was awarded to Messrs Yolas Consultant in 2002 needs to be
expanded.