Federal Executive Council
FEC approval boosts Police logistics, as Unity Schools regain JSS
Jul 22, 2010, 15:40
| | The Nigerian Police has got a boost to its logistics and morale as the Federal Government approved the sum of N581.8 million for the procurement of 90 Peugeot 407 cars for the force. Government also approved the return of the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) to the unity schools.
Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, in company of the Minister of State in her ministry, Mr Labaran Maku, made this disclosure at a media briefing on the outcome of the week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday July 21, at the State House, Abuja.
Mr Maku stated that the procurement is to be funded from the budgetary provision of N79.20 billion earmarked for the reform programme in the 2010 budget appropriation and the vehicles are to be delivered in two weeks.
He stated further that the approval for the procurement of the vehicle by the council demonstrates the commitment of the present administration to reposition the force in order to enable it perform its constitutional duties and the need to fast track the implementation of the Reform Programme of the Nigeria Police which is of imperative.
On the return of the Junior Secondary School (JSS) in all the 104 Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) the minister noted that the Education Minister sought Council’s approval for the restoration of the Junior School Component into those FUCs with effect from the 2010/2011 academic sessions.
He explained that until 2008, each of the FUCs which were established to promote national unity, academic excellence and serve as model to states and other proprietors, until 2008, had both junior and senior components.
According to him the junior component was cancelled as a result of wrong interpretation of the National Council on Education (NCE) decision of 2005 on the disarticulation policy arising from the application of the Universal Basic Education (UBEC) Act noting that since the FUCs were not benefiting from the UBEC intervention funds, they should have been disarticulated in the first place.
Maku stated that there had been outcry by the members of the public, parents, and other stakeholders, including trade unions, calling on the Federal Government to re-consider its decision on the junior component of the FUCs based on which the committee set up by the immediate Minister of Education recommended the re-introduction of the junior school component into the FUCs.
He said that the committee in its recommendation noted that since the return of the junior school did contravene the UBEC Act and that because of the need to improve skills and enhance standards and to answer the yearnings of parents and that as a listening government, Council considered and approved the restoration of the junior school component into the FUCs.
The council Maku disclosed further also approved the award of a contract for the construction of Karshi-Ara Road in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the cost of N2 billion which has already been provided for in the statutory budget of the FCT.
The Karshi-Ara Road is one of the major roads linking Nasarawa State to the South Eastern part of the FCT.
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