The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Thursday approved a sweeping package of infrastructure projects, including $2.99 billion for three major rail lines and over N7 trillion for road and bridge construction across Nigeria, in what officials described as one of the most extensive approvals under the current administration.
The council also constituted a presidential taskforce on power sector reform to be chaired by President Bola Tinubu, in a move aimed at addressing longstanding challenges in the electricity sector.
Briefing journalists after the meeting at the State House in Abuja, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the decisions followed a comprehensive review by a committee headed by the Chief of Staff to the President.
“That committee undertook a very comprehensive review of the commercial, investment and institutional framework underpinning GAMCO,” Idris said.
“Based on the report submitted to Council today, I am happy to announce that Council took very far-reaching decisions.”
He disclosed that FEC approved the appointment of Rilwan Babalola as Special Adviser to the President on Power, alongside the creation of a 10-member Task Force on Power Sector Reform.
“Council has taken another far-reaching decision by constituting a task force on power sector reform. All of us know that power is a major issue in this country,” Idris said.
“This power sector taskforce, it is called the Task Force on Power Sector Reform. Mr President himself will be the chairman of that committee.”
He added that the aim of the taskforce is to drive a complete overhaul of the sector.
“The goal here is to ensure that there is a total overhaul of the power sector, without which real progress cannot be made in terms of industrialisation, which will ultimately lead to the economic prosperity of Nigeria,” he said.
On rail infrastructure, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the council approved three major projects: the Lagos Green Line Rail (Phase One), the Kano Metro City Rail Project, and the Kaduna State Light Rail Project.
“Council today approved the award of contracts for three transformative rail projects,” Oyedele said.
“These three cities are very important and critical. All cities are important, but this is where you have your 10 per cent effort yielding 90 per cent results.”
He explained that the Lagos Green Line would run from Marina on Lagos Island to Lekki, serving a densely populated commercial corridor, while the Kano and Kaduna rail systems would enhance transportation and economic activities in key northern cities.
Providing details on road infrastructure, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said the approvals represent the largest single batch of road projects cleared by the council.
Among the key projects is the N1.86 trillion extension of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway through Akwa Ibom State.
“That project is in very terrible swamp. It involves removing pits of more than 12 metres… and bringing it up to about five metres above the existing natural ground level,” Umahi explained.
The council also approved N548.98 billion for the demolition and reconstruction of Carter Bridge in Lagos following structural concerns.
“We convened stakeholders and technical experts, and all agreed that we could not redeem Carter Bridge, and it has to be completely demolished and rebuilt,” he said.
Umahi noted that the redesigned bridge would be expanded to 1.93 kilometres to address traffic bottlenecks.
Another major approval is the N1.79 trillion Sokoto-Badagry Expressway section, a 360-kilometre dual carriageway to be funded through a mix of government and external financing.
“When people talk about cost and return on investment… the cost on this project is N3.2bn per kilometre,” Umahi said, comparing it with previous highway projects.
He also announced approvals for several other roads, including the Suleja-Minna corridor, the Mando-Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna State, and highways across Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Yobe and Gombe states.
According to him, many of the projects will be executed using reinforced concrete pavement to ensure durability and long-term value.
Umahi further disclosed that a number of completed projects across the country are lined up for inauguration ahead of President Tinubu’s third anniversary in office on May 29.
The approvals, officials said, reflect the administration’s focus on infrastructure development and energy reform as key drivers of economic growth and improved living standards.