From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N24.20 billion for the provision of broadband in over 63 locations, including airports, higher institutions and markets across the country.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, made this known while briefing State House Correspondents alongside his colleagues in the State House Council Chambers.
Pantami explained that in two memos approved by FEC, the intervention projects were going to be implemented by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
He said in the first memo, approval was granted for the award of contract for the provision of broadband in some selected domestic and international airports.
“Twenty of them are going to be covered in the first phase of the project. In each geopolitical zone, you have around three airports. Like in the South East, you have two in Lagos, you have in Ondo. For South East you have Imo, Anambra, Enugu. For South-South, you have in Port Harcourt, Akwa Ibom. For North-Central you have in Abuja, Ilorin. For North West you have Kano, Sokoto and Kebbi. For North East you have Yola, Maiduguri and Gombe.
“So, all these airports are going to be covered and the Federal Government will provide broadband free for passengers that are coming through the airports and particularly in Abuja, sometimes you will discover you will land and there is no internet for free to even allow you to communicate. So, we have set our team in order, we have developed the sustainability model, so that even after the deployment, the maintenance will be very effective.”
Pantami said provision is also made in the same meno for broadband projects in 43 higher institutions of learning at federal and state levels.
“In the first memo approved today, we have 20 airports, both domestic and international and in addition, we also have 43 institutions of learning. So if you add you will discover 63 institutions are going to benefit, accommodating higher institutions and local and domestic airports and the price for this is N18.95 billion.”
The minister said the second memo makes provision for broadband to some selected markets.
“Last year, the Federal Executive Council had approved the implementation of that by providing broadband to 20 markets in Nigeria, where you have a minimum of three markets per geopolitical zone. This one is to complement the earlier approval, where six markets are also going to benefit from this in addition to six higher institutions of learning; two federal universities, one state university and polytechnics and the this one the price is N5.25 billion. So both memos, you will discover that they will provide broadband to these institutions at the price of approximately N24.20 billion and the project is going to be implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission. The duration for the project is four months minimum and maximum of five months and there is a budgetary provision for that. Also, the fund to sponsor the implementation has been secured by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. For universities, it’s because we have learned bitter and better lessons during the COVID-19, so we don’t want to go back to that, we want to ensure that students and staff benefit from unlimited internet.
“For airports, we know the difficulty when you land without any connectivity. So it will even at least make our airports more lively, if there is at least internet connectivity that is for free.”
“Thirdly for market, it’s to support innovation-driven enterprises that are being championed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where we try to give global visibility to our innovators, to our micro, small and medium enterprises, so that their market is not going to be narrowed and restricted only to our local communities.”
So besides the internet, we have been giving them domain name for free and also supporting them to establish website so that they will be able to have global visibility and also it will support Nigeria, even in the process of transition to cashless policy. When internet is free and it’s effective in our markets, it will support online activities, online payments, among many others.”
Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, said these projects are aimed at facilitating efficient and cost-effective approaches to contamination management and environmental restoration while supporting the well-being and welfare of the people who have been impacted by the negative effects of contamination in those areas.
He said: “On behalf of the Ministry of Environment, HYPREP Project Office, I presented two memos one for the award of contract for the construction of Centre of Excellence for environmental restoration at Wiiyaakara, Bori in, in Khana local government area of River State, in favour of CCECC Nigeria Limited, in the sum of N41,472,263,848 with a completion period of 24 months. The centre is to facilitate efficient and cost-effective approach to contamination management and environmental restoration, providing trainings and courses on remediation and skills on contamination technology etc. The centre is supposed to contain an administration block, auditorium, research building, vocational study building, classrooms, male and female dormitories, library, clinic, chapel, water supply facilities, shopping complex, clubhouse, block of three bedroom flats, block of two bedroom flats, block of one bedroom flats, sport facilities and other facilities for recreation.
“The second memo, which is equally approved, which is also in line with the UNEP Report on the level components, is the contract for the construction of Ogoni 100-bed specialist hospital in favour of Messrs Tannit Medical Engineering Limited, in the sum of N18,308,463,225.37, plus 7.5% of VAT, with a delivery period of 24 months.
“The scope of the project includes the construction of administrative building, main Reception, Radiology, General Outpatient, Emergency Department, General Laboratory, Staff Section, Canteen, Laundry, In-patient Department, Intensive Care Unit, High Dependency Unit, Surgical Suite, Central Sterilisation and Storage Department, In-patients Department II, Maternity Wards, Labour and Delivery Rooms, Security Rooms and Nursery, etc.”
In the same vain, the ministry of aviation got approval for construction of 150 room capacity hostel for over N2 billion, according to the Minister of Information and Culture, who briefed on behalf of the Minister, Hedi Sirika.