The Niger Delta region is home to at least 86 per cent of projects approved by the Federal Executive Council between March and August, amounting to over N760 billion out of N883 billion contracts awarded during the period, according to documents published by the Bureau for Public Procurement.



The bureau last week published a ‘List of Contracts Approved for Award by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) from March to August 2011.’


A review of the documents by Daily Trust revealed that contracts valued at N760 billion are located in the Niger Delta, home of President Goodluck Jonathan, while projects specifically located in the other parts of the country amount to about N52 billion.

The rest of the contracts worth about N70 billion, including e-passport contracts and purchase of ambulances for NEMA, are not with specific locations.

Details of the contracts showed that the Ministry of Niger Delta has 28 projects awarded at the cost of N408 billion.

Also, all the N333 billion contracts under the Ministry of Power are spread across the Niger Delta region; while the Niger Delta Development Commission has 10 contracts for infrastructural development in the oil region, totalling N23.7 billion.

But the entire North, minus the FCT, has projects worth only N16.4 billion, as follows: Northwest N15 billion and Northeast N1.4 billion. There is no project specifically located in any of the six states of the North Central.

Four projects worth N12 billion were approved to be sited in the Southwest.

For the Niger Delta, the documents showed that FEC approved the augmentation of the contracts for the East-West Road project, sections I, II-I and II-II under the Ministry of Niger Delta costing nearly N246 billion.

These include Warri-Kaiama road in Delta State, reviewed from N64 billion to N112 billion; Port Harcourt-Ahoada-Kaiama in Rivers State reviewed from N29.9 billion to N48.97 billion; and Ahoada-Kaiama in Rivers and Bayelsa states, reviewed from N44.88 billion to N84.760 billion.

There are also contracts for the dualisation of the 99km East-West Road section III (Port Harcourt Eleme Junction-Eket) in Rivers/Akwa Ibom states and dualisation of 55km East –West Road, section IV (Eket- Oron) in Akwa Ibom state at the cost of about N67 billion and N37.5 billion respectively.

Also under the Niger Delta ministry, contracts were awarded for 12 infrastructural development projects in nine states of the region at the sum of N27.56 billion; as well as six other contracts for infrastructural development in six states of the region at the cost of about N21 billion.

The only contract approved under the Ministry of Water Resources at the cost of N4.52 billion was for the rehabilitation and expansion of Ogbia Central Water Supply Scheme in Bayelsa State.

FEC also approved a contract for the completion of Otuoke Hospital in Bayelsa at the cost of N2.8 billion.

For the North, there are contracts for the construction of Jalingo-Kuna-Lau Road in Taraba state and the reinstatement of washout and completion of the rehabilitation of Sokoto-Ilella road awarded at the cost of N1.43 billion and N2.256 billion respectively, under the Ministry of Works.

Also located in the North is the contract for the construction of the new terminal building at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano at the cost of N12 billion.

Within the FCT, there is contract for the provision of engineering infrastructure to Maitama Extension District, Abuja, at the cost of N23.65 billion; and contracts under Aviation ministry for airside terminal building rehabilitation works at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and direct procurement of automatic and modern flight inspection system and ancillary equipment at N9.5 billion and USD2.7 million respectively.

Contracts with no specific location include purchase of 23 ambulances at the rate of N29 million each totalling N667 million under the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); N391 million information technology service contract under the Galaxy Backbone; and N14.8 billion contract for the production and maintenance of e-passport booklets and services under the Ministry of Interior. Agriculture ministry also got approval for the procurement of assorted commodities totalling N5.83 billion.

In all, 12 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) through which the contracts were awarded are Niger Delta Affairs, Power, Aviation, Water Resources, Agriculture, Works, Interior, FCT, NDDC, NEMA, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Galaxy Backbone.


Source: http://www..com/news/72528/niger-delta-gets-86-of-fg-projects-n760bn-for-jonathans-zone-zero-for-northcentr.html