FEC Approves Special Police Service Scheme, As Dangote Gets N309B Road Projects

Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the introduction of a Specialised Police Service Scheme for the Nigeria Police Force to boost its revenue base and check financial leakages.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, the scheme will be managed through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and revenue generated will be shared between the Federal Government, Police, and the consultant.

“There will be an introduction of tariffs and billing schemes. This will be using PPP (Public-Private Partnership arrangement).

“The police projected the use of consultant that will help them to manage this. Part of the revenue will go to Federal Government. Part of it will go to the police; part of it will go into police allowances and part will go to consultants as their own fees.

“This is a new system that will formalize the existing relationship between the Nigeria Police and Banks or Corporations, whereby the Police gives them cover or escort.

“Now in the interest of accountability and transparency, there will be the introduction of tariffs and billing scheme through the use of a consultant that will help them to manage the scheme.

“This is something that has been going on for many years in some parts of the world,” he explained.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, also revealed that the council approved the construction of five roads worth N309 billion in Borno, Kaduna, Lagos, and the Ogun States.

He said the roads, totaling 274.9 kilometers, would be constructed by the Dangote Group of companies under the tax credit policy of the Nigerian government.

“The memo presented was for the construction and reconstruction of five road projects, as the case may be, in favor of Dangote Industries Limited totaling 274.9 kilometers of federal roads under the federal government’s roads infrastructure tax credit policy which is one of a strategic partnership with the private sector.

“Those five roads will cost N309,917,717,251.55 to be advanced by the Dangote Industries as a tax credit.

“The roads specifically are Bama to Banki in Borno State, 49.153 kilometres; Dikwa to Gamboru Ngala (Borno), 49.577 kilometers; Nnamdi Azikiwe Road is popularly known as Western Bye-Pass in Kaduna State, 21.477 kilometers;

“The Deep Sea Port access road Sections I and III in Lagos State through Epe to Shagamu Express Way, 54.24 kilometers, that links Lagos and Ogun States, and the Obele Ilaro-Shagamu Road, 100 kilometers in Ogun,’’ he said.

According to him, the council also approved the memorandum, to facilitate the construction of the 274 kilometers of concrete road, and “this will be the largest single award of concrete roads ever undertaken by the government of Nigeria in one award”.

The Minister of Power, Mr Sale Mamman, told the correspondents that the council approved three memos for the ministry.

He said the approved projects included the construction of 45 km Offafa-Umuahia Transmission Line in Abia in the sum of 170,465 dollars plus N814.1 million.

Mamman disclosed that the council approved N259.9 million for the construction of a substation at Obajana with a line base extension at Lokoja.

“The last one is the construction, design, and supply of 2 by 50 MVA 132 33 substations at Ikom with 2 by 132 line base transmission at Calabar, Cross River.

“It also includes the design and construction of 220 km Calabar-Ikom 132 Cable Double Circuit Transmission Line. The amount is 39.9 million dollars plus N9.5billion.’’