The construction of the $6.7 billion Ibadan – Kaduna rail line, reconstruction of the N1.9 billion Clinton Drive and N273 million water treatment chemicals, were some of the approvals given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami told State House reporters after the weekly meeting that the Federal Government has saved over N4.5 trillion from high profile cases prosecuted by his ministry between 2015 and last year.
The meeting was chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja.
Malami briefed the reporters in the company of his colleagues Lai Mohammed (Information, Culture & Tourism); Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation); Ogbonnaya Onu (Science & Technology) and Mohammed Bello (Federal Capital Territory).
According to Malami, his ministry presented its scorecard to Council in the last two and a half years.
He said: “In respect of Federal Ministry of Justice what was presented to the Council today is the score card from 2015 to 2017
“Fundamentally arising from the cases that were conducted by the Federal ministry of Justice, the Ministry has succeeded in saving the government around N4.5 trillion relating to the claims that were presented in respect of these cases which were indeed conducted and concluded.”
He said a committee has been saddled to come up with policies and strategies to ease prisons’ congestion.
“Over 70 per cent of the inmates are awaiting trials there are sizeable number that couldn’t afford to pay limited fine that have been imposed by them arriving from their convictions.”
Amaechi disclosed that his ministry got approval for the construction of the Ibadan – Kaduna rail lines at the cost of $6.7 billion.
The project, he said, is expected to be completed in three years.
According to him, the contract for the Kaduna to Kano section of the rail line was awarded last year.
Onu briefed on the progress made based on the recently approved executive order, the national strategy for competitiveness and the entire science and technology innovation roadmap.
As part of the scorecard of his ministry in the past two and half years, Onu said he presented new biscuits being produced in conjunction with Nasco Food.
He said: “High nutrient density products developed and proposed for inclusion in the current Nigerian School Feeding Programme will provide at least a third of the desired major macro and micro nutrients requirement stipulated by the World Health organisation, Food and Nutrition Board.
“The pupils in the schools in Jos and Lagos where the sensory evaluation and consumer acceptability studies were done showed strong likeness for the products and are ready to consume the products if including in the school feeding program.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama listed the major projects undertaken by his ministry to include the citizens’ diplomacy programme, desk-to-desk review initiatives and the economic diplomacy innovation.
