FEC approves N2.1 billion for UNIZIK hostel and stadium projects

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved N2.1 billion to finish five projects at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) in Awka, Anambra state.

Following the FEC meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, announced this to state house correspondents.

He stated that the university had previously awarded the projects but lacked the funding to complete them.

“The significance of these contracts is that they were awarded by the university itself, some in 2007, some in 2010, some in 2012, and some in 2015,” Mohammed explained.

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“However, due to the university’s inability to carry out these projects, for reasons ranging from a lack of funding to a variety of other factors, they turned to the federal government for assistance in completing the contracts.

“The contract, which was originally awarded for N2.5 billion due to contract variation, has now been increased to N4.6 billion due to material cost increases.

“In other words, the federal government is making N2.1 billion available to the university to supplement the contract, which was awarded between 2007 and 2015 but was unable to complete.

“The five contracts are for the construction of students’ hostels, Type D, in Awka, which was augmented by N120 million, and for the construction of students’ hostels, Type A, in Nnewi, for which we must provide an additional N385 million.

“Construction of students hostel, Type A, Awka; additionally, we have provided an additional N104 million here, and then the construction of the Faculty Building for Physical Science and Biosciences in the sum of N1.2 billion, raising the contract sum from the original N983 million to N2.243 billion.

“Finally, construction and completion of the mini-stadium complex in favor of a different contractor, which we had to supplement with N510 million.”

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Mohammed stated that the contracts were awarded through the Needs Assessment — an intervention fund established by the federal ministry of education to assist educational institutions across the country.

The minister stated that the council approved the purchase of landed property for the vice-residence chancellor’s at the Federal University of Dutse in Jigawa state.

“This is a very short memo, which actually sought council’s approval to provide accommodation for the vice chancellor; and, of course, it means the university was purchasing a property in Dutse, which will serve as the vice chancellor’s official accommodation,” Mohammed explained.

“After following due process, including whether the seller has title and whether it was adequately covered by Certificate of Occupancy, the council approved the purchase of a property for the sum of N161, 250, 000, inclusive of 7.5 percent VAT, with a two-week delivery period for the official residence of the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa State.”

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According to Mohammed, the council also approved a sum of N847,502,000 for the award of a contract for digital interconnectivity among identified ministries and other government agencies via the Local Area Network (LAN).