The Federal Government has approved N8.1bn for the rehabilitation of the Federal Secretariat, Phase I, in Abuja.

The decision was taken on Wednesday at the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Mohammed Bello, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

The secretariat, located in the Three Arms Zone, was said to have been inaugurated in 1993.

The minister said a “massive rehabilitation” would be carried out on the multi-storey complex.

“The third memorandum is for the rehabilitation of Phase I of the Federal Secretariat which involves electro-mechanical systems, water systems 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.

Bello said the council also approved the revision of the contracts for the rehabilitation and expansion of the outer Southern Express Way to Ring Road I in the FCT at a varied contract cost of N15,125,122, 967.

In addition, he said the council approved the revised estimated cost of the contract for the construction of a 15-kilometre left hand service carriage way of the outer service of the outer Southern Express Way, Stage II.

He put the cost at N11,476,424,350.

The minister further disclosed that other projects approved by the council include those for the total overhaul of a 1500 KVA generating plant, for the Abuja Environmental Protection Board at the cost of N110 million; an upward review of contract sum for the extension of the inner Southern Express Way in the sum of N47.6bn as well as the review of the consultancy provision for the Independence and Constitution Avenue in the Central Business District of Abuja, at the cost of N131.4m.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouk, on her part said the council approved N922.8m for the purchase of fertilizer to assist states affected by insurgency and the 2018 flood disaster.

She listed Adamawa, Borno and Yobe as the benefiting states under the emergency agricultural intervention for states affected by conflicts, insurgency and also the 2018 flood.

“Initially, we were supposed to give the NPK 20:10:10 fertilizer, but now, we are going to provide the liquid fertilizer to the benefiting states and the quantity is about 259,000 litres of that particular product,” the minister said.

The Minister of Power, Sale Mamman, said the council approved the procurement of four 150 NBA 331 3233 power transformers for Transmission Company of Nigeria.

Mamman added that the council the contract for the production and delivery of one million sterilised metres grips embossed for three metres test stations in Oshodi, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kaduna in the sum of N155,227,619.18.