The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved of N22.45bn for projects in the Ministries of Petroleum Resources and Environment.
The Minister of Environment, Muhammed Abdullahi, and the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva revealed this to State House correspondents shortly after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting Presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) at the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Villa.
The projects include a Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration with an Integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre and a Conference Hostel Facility in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, adjacent to the Nigerian Content Towers.
Sylva revealed that the Council approved N22bn for the provision of a Conference Hostel Facility in Yenagoa, adjacent to the Nigerian Content Towers.
The contract was awarded to Megastar Technical Construction Company and has a proposed completion period of 24 months.
On his part, the minister of environment, Abdullahi, said the Council awarded the contract for consultancy services and design of Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration with an Integrated Contaminated Soil Management Centre at the sum of N449,250,040.50 (7.5 per cent Value Added Tax inclusive).
He noted that the establishment of the Centre is to facilitate laboratory tests for land remediation efforts on sites contaminated by decades of oil exploration to make them cultivable for farming and fishing activities.
This, he said, is to fulfil the President’s promise to the Ogoni people.
“The Ministry of Environment, based on clear instructions of Mr. President, in fulfilling his promise to the Ogoni people towards the remediation objectives, and the livelihood of programme, took a very major step today by approving the award of contract for consultancy services, and the design of Center of Excellence for environmental restoration with an integrated contaminated soil management Center.
