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| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Federal Executive Council
FG orders a review of bilateral agreements, approves power projects
Jul 9, 2010, 17:06
| | The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has ordered a review of 376 bilateral / joint agreements entered into between Nigeria and other countries with a view to eliminating none beneficial ones.
Information and Communications Minister, Dora Akunyili who made the disclosure while briefing the media briefing on the outcome of the week’s FEC meeting held on Wednesday July 7, noted that the need for the review was informed by the nation’s inability to maximize benefits from some of the agreements.
“Joint commission agreements are convenient legal frameworks for the negotiation, elaboration and implementation of instruments covering various sectors of activities for the benefit of the nationals of contracting parties”, she noted
She added that they are to be reviewed periodically to identify inactive and moribund ones and, where necessary, re-negotiate those not performing.
The Information minister stated further that Nigeria has concluded a total 376 bilateral agreements in various sectors of the economy for which concerns have been generally expressed about the unsatisfactory level of implementation and Nigeria’s ability to derive maximum benefit from those agreements, Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and related instruments concluded under the joint commissions’ framework.
Prof Akunyili stated that the need for effective collaboration and participation of all stakeholders in the negotiation of all such agreements informed Council’s decision to approved effective participation of all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, in the negotiation of all bilateral co-operation agreements, before signature.
Further to the achievement of the aim stated above, she noted, Council approved the setting up of an Inter-ministerial Committee under the leadership of the Foreign Affairs Ministry to develop a national policy on joint commissions, monitored by the National Planning Ministry.
The Council also directed all MDAs to prepare a project implementation report for the year which according to her should be presented within the next two weeks as government wants to ensure that 2010 budget is fully implemented.
On Power, she disclosed that FEC approved contracts for the construction of two 60MVA, 132/33KV substations at Igangan in Ogun State and 132KV switching station at Igbo-Ora, in Oyo State worth £7.3 million in addition to N885.6million, with a completion period of 18 months.
Prof Akunyili, while noting that these projects are among the initiatives aimed at improving electricity generation and transmission in the country also announced the approval for the provision of project management consultancy service in respect of the 215MW Kaduna power plant project and 10MW Katsina wind farm.
The Information minister also stated that Council approved the procurement and distribution of 2,544 science kits for selected public Junior Secondary Schools nationwide by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
While recalling that Council on May 5 approved the contract for the procurement and distribution of 2,331 science kits, Akunyili however noted that a directive was given to the Ministries of Education, and Science and Technology to re-examine the procurement process, to enable the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to execute the project through sole sourcing.
She explained that the two ministries met and NASENI offered to execute the project at a reduced cost of N266, 000 per kit, as against N320, 000 offered by the contractor. This has resulted in an increase in the number of science kits from 2,331 to 2,544 leading to an increase in the number of beneficiary schools from 9 to 10 per state.
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