FEC Approves Extension of National Anti-corruption Policy
The Federal Executive Council meeting has approved a review of the national anti-corruption policy of the federal government, extending it from year 2022 to 2026.
According to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami on Wednesday, the review and extension became necessary, following successes recorded by the administration in its anti-corruption drive.
Malami revealed that the anti corruption agencies have been able to secure convictions on behalf of the government in Courts to the tune of over 3000.
He Said the bulk of the convictions were secured between 2015 till date, when the All Progressive Congress administration took over the mantle of leadership.
The AGF also disclosed that looted funds recovered by the administration both locally and from foreign governments in the last few years amounts to over $1billion.
“The first $322 million dollars recovered by the administration was exclusively deployed for social intervention programmes like Npower, market money, school feeding programmes among others.
“We think the anti corruption policy of the Muhammadu Buhari administration has been largely successful because we have secured over 3000 convictions as of the year 2022. From mere 109 convictions we have gotten over 3000 convictions which is the major reason we decided to extend the policy from 2022 to 2026,” he stated.
The federal executive council (FEC) has also approved an additional N14 billion for the construction of the Kano western bypass road.
Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, said the approved N14 billion was a budget augmentation for the Kano western bypass, awarded to Dantata and Sawo Construction Company.
With this, the budget for the road project was raised from N22 billion to N36.89 billion.
Fashola said the contract was inherited from previous administrations but added that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was determined to complete it.
“The ministry of works and housing presented a council memo to get approval for the augmentation of the contract price for the completion of the Kano Western bypass, which we inherited. The project had essentially not been funded in previous budget years.
“We are now executing it by the Sukuk bond. Council considered and approved the augmentation, which was for N14.095 billion. Some of the items covered by the augmentation include the old amount for value-added tax (VAT), which was increased from 5 to 7.5 percent.
“Others are the need to construct a flyover at Dawano International Market interchange and also the need to construct more hydraulic facilities to help drain water, especially in the parts of the road that pass through the city centres and towns, and the council approved this.”
The minister added that when completed, the road will link the Kano-Maiduguri highway.
He also said the ministry sought and got the council’s approval to use the funds approved for the construction of a trailer park along the Enugu-Port Harcourt highway to complete the main carriageway.
“This is because of the litigation we are facing from the communities where the trailer park is to be located, whose land was acquired for the construction of the park. In order not to delay the completion of the main carriageway and also in order to optimise today’s pricing, we sought approval, and the council approved that based on the recommendation of the Bureau for Public Procurement,” Fashola explained.
