President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime says it will use N82 billion to rehabilitate the Abuja Federal Secretariat and other projects in the Federal Capital Territory.

Out of the N82 billion, the government earmarked N131.4 million for the “review of consultancy provision” for the Independence and Constitution Avenue Road project in the Abuja Central Business District.

The Federal Executive Council approved the N82 billion on Wednesday.

The Minister of the FCT, Muhammed Bello, announced this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the council meeting presided over by Mr Buhari in Abuja.

The FCT minister said about N8.1 billion would be used to rehabilitate the secretariat and N110 million to overhaul a generator.

“I presented six memos, and all have to do with infrastructure and infrastructure-related projects.

“The first one is for the revision of the contracts for the rehabilitation and expansion of the outer Southern Expressway to Ring Road I in the Federal Capital City,” he revealed.

Explaining further, he stated, “That contract was approved at a varied contract amount of N15,125,122,967. It is expected that this contract would be completed within 24 months.

“The second project, which was also approved, is for the revised estimated cost of the contract for the construction of a 15-kilometre left-hand service carriageway of the outer surface of the outer Southern Expressway stage II.”

He added that the “augmentation of this particular project” would cost N11,476,476,424,350.

Continuing, he said, “The third memo is for the rehabilitation of phase I of the Federal Secretariat, which involves electro-mechanical systems, water system as well as other general rehabilitation.

“This is a secretariat that was inaugurated in 1993, quite a long time ago, so we are doing massive rehabilitation of that at a total sum of N8,110,665,676.76, and the completion period is 24 months.”

The minister said the “total overhaul” of a 1500 KVA generating plant for the Abuja Environmental Protection Board would N110 million.

Mr Bello disclosed an upward review of the contract sum for the extension of the inner Southern Expressway at N47.6 billion, adding that N131.4 million of the N82 billion is to review consultancy provision for the Independence and Constitution Avenue Road project in the Abuja Central Business District.

(NAN)