By Abdullahi M. Gulloma, Abuja
The Federal executive Council (FEC) Wednesday approved N8.4 billion for the construction of a dam for the Damaturu Water Supply project in Yobe state.
Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. The minister said the approval would help address water supply challenges in the state, caused mainly by insurgency.“I presented a memo for the construction of Damaturu water supply project in Yobe State in favour of three contractors at a total sum of N8.43 billion. The contracts divided into three are all groundwater or borehole-based projects spread over a wide distance because they are covering three major cities. They will be mostly solar based and also they are in response to the critical needs of these localities within Yobe State, especially as they have been suffering a lot because these areas are affected by the Boko Haram insurgency which started several years ago and therefore, we need to support their water supply needs.
…N8.9 billion National ICT Park, Aging Policy
In another development, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N 8.9 billion for the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy to construct a National Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Park in Abuja. Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, who disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting in Abuja Wednesday, said when completed, the park would be able to coordinate public and private ICT hubs in the country. The minister said government would soon release the timelines for the smooth transition of Bank Verification Number (BVN) with the National Identification Number (NIN) for bank accounts.
He said about 4,200 square meters land has already been acquired for the establishment of the ICT Park.“The wisdom behind the ICT Park is for it to be a centre where public and private ICT hubs are going to be coordinated by the federal government of Nigeria, where young innovators with vibrant and developmental ideas will be mentored and all their needs provided for.“We will provide the enabling environment for them to utilize and come up with innovative technologies. This is the first of its kind in Nigeria, we have so many parks and hubs but they are regional. This one will be central and will be a centre of job creation for our teaming youths. It will be a centre where technology will be developed and incubated. It will play a significant role in reducing unemployment and reducing the gap of unemployment.
“The Federal Executive Council has approved the memo and we are going to start establishing it in Abuja and we hope Abuja is going to be another Silicon Valley in Nigeria.”Pantami disclosed that already, a billion naira has been provided for the project in the 2020 budget, which is still very active, a take off grant for the project,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Mrs Sadiya Umar Farouk, said the council approved a National Policy on Aging.She said the objective of the policy is to ensure that older persons in the society are guaranteed security, independence participation, comprehensive care, self-fulfilment and dignity.
“The policy covers a spectrum of issues and opportunities for older persons, older persons with disabilities, older persons who are internally displaced, older persons engaged in farming in Nigeria, in urban and rural areas,” she said.
… N21bn National Theatre renovation, N9.4bn digital switchover
At the same Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval was given for the execution of a memorandum of understanding between the Federal Ministry of Information and the Central Bank of Nigeria worth N21 billion for the renovation of the National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos.Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, disclosed this Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buahri.
He said execution of the project would help address unemployment in the country, as it would generate up to a million jobs in the next three years, and boost investment in the creative industry.
“I sought and obtained an approval to execute a memorandum of understanding between the Federal Ministry of Information, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers Committee worth N21 billion for the renovation of the National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos.
“This is a landmark approval because it has paved the way for investment in the creative industry as part of the resolve of this government to create at least 1, 000, 000 jobs in the next three years from the creative industry.“The CBN through the Bankers Committee is willing to invest N21, 894, 000, 000 to renovate the National Theatre, refurbish it and run it profitably,” he said.
The minister said the MoU has a life span of 21 years before it will be reverted to government, stressing that no job would be lost as a result of the execution of the project and its subsequent management by the private sector players.
“The important thing is that no job would be lost after the theatre is renovated and a special purpose vehicle would be created to run it, it can’t be business as usual but it’s going to be a turning point in the creative industry in the sense that we are going to have a brand-new National Theatre, with an event centre and it is going to help in creating more jobs,” he said.
The minister said the council also approved N9.43 billion for the completion of the digital switchover, which Nigeria had previously missed the deadline set for implementation.“As you know, the ITU had two cut off dates, one in 2017 another in 2020, where nations were supposed to complete their movement from analogue to digital. Regrettably, we were not able to make it.
“But with the approval of this memo today, we would be striving to switch from analogue to digital. We will now agree on a date for a launch in the biggest cities like Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt.
“And we will start the switch off in the already switched-on states. It means that, digital switch over is now real and the economic effect of it will be the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in content production, channel distribution, Nollywood and Electronic appliance productions to service about 20 million Nigerian homes. At the end of the switch over, we would have created the biggest free to air TV platform in Africa,” he said.
The minister said a ministerial task force to execute the council’s resolution would be announced soon.