Aviation ministry bags N16.697bn to build an airport, acquire fire-fighting trucks, Sniffer dogs, Consultancies

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Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika, Aviation Minister

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N658 million for the deployment of sniffer dogs at Lagos and Abuja international airports.

The council gave the approval during the weekly meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this while speaking with reporters after the council meeting, said four memoranda were approved for the ministry totalling N16,697,742,839.

According to him, the projects to be executed in the contracts include the construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State at N6.3 billion. Post-construction services for the same airport would gulp N219.8 million. The procurement of eight (8 nos) Airport Rescue and Fire-Fighting Trucks would also gulp N9.5 billion while the contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs to the Lagos and Abuja international airports has been approved at the cost of N658.8 million.

Hadi Sirika said that, “FEC approved four memoranda from civil aviation. One of it is the approval for the construction of Wachakal Airport in Yobe State and at the contract sum of N6,284,065,056,” he said.

He said further that, “Even and in our drive to develop the sector and ensure connectivity within our region and also improve on our security architecture and also attend to the various needs of civilization, we found this airport and many others that are coming across the country useful.

The Aviation Minister narrated that, “the second was a post-Consultancy Services for the construction of the same airport, Wachakal Air stripe, which is very close to Nguru, in Yobe state. So, first Consultancy Services is given to Kafe Engineering at the sum of N219,782,500 only. This will include seven and a half per cent VAT”, he ssid.

“The third memorandum that was taken was the approval for the supply and maintenance of eight units of airport rescue and fire fighting vehicle including spare parts and training. And this was given to Messers Gulf of Africa International Limited”, he said.

The Minister added that “the exclusive representatives of the OEM and the OEMs are Emirate firefighting equipment factory, this is in the sum of N9,535,132,500 even. This also will include seven and a half per cent and the delivery period for this procurement is 12 months”, Sirika volunteered.

Hadi Sirika announced that “the last memo that was taken from aviation, it has to do with the approval for the award of contract for the deployment of sniffer dogs canine in airports in Lagos and Abuja, we will be continuing with this procurement and other airports as well. So, the total contract sum for this procurement is N658,762,783.36 which includes seven and a half per cent VAT.”

Recalled that forty-eight hours ago, the Minister in national newspapers advertisements, just flagged off the race for the soul of air transport in Nigeria, through the request for bidders to manage the four major airports in Nigeria namely, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport Kano, and PortHarcourt International Airport PortHarcourt, explained inter alia that,