The administration led by President Bola Tinubu has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting days, resulting in a significant change from Wednesdays to Mondays.

Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information, disclosed this new policy and mentioned that the meetings may not be held on a weekly basis unless there are urgent matters to address.

During the recent FEC meeting, Dave Umahi, the Minister of Works, presented a memorandum on the existing scope of road infrastructure inherited from the previous administration, encompassing a total length of 18,897 kilometers from President Muhammadu Buhari’s immediate past administration. Umahi further highlighted the presence of numerous projects that had been awarded but were abandoned or faced inadequate funding, alongside the introduction of critical new routes spanning 12,000 kilometers and 24 bridges.

As a result, FEC approved the continuation of these inherited projects and the new proposals, directing the formation of a committee consisting of the Chief of Staff, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of Economy, Minister of Works, Minister of Planning and Budget, GCEO/GMD of NNPLC, FIRS chairman, and SSA on Tax Reform. This committee was tasked with devising strategies to secure funds and address all matters relating to funding.

Furthermore, FEC was informed about ongoing projects and approved the adoption of concrete pavements for completed projects as a means to minimize inflation and variations in the projects. Going forward, new projects were also recommended to be executed using concrete, with asphalt being considered based on specific conditions.

FEC also granted approval for the coastal road, Phase 1, stretching from Lagos to Port Harcourt and Calabar. Phase 2, branching from this stretch, extends to Sokoto and Ogoja. The road was approved to be executed through engineering procurement and construction plus financing (EPC + F). Additionally, eight concessioned roads that had completed all necessary processes received approval for financial closure, set to be reached in November. However, the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road was excluded from the concession plan as the Ogun State Government requested to undertake the project independently under the Hardware Development Management Initiative (HDMI), with no refunds but tolling will be implemented. Moreover, FEC authorized the concessioning of 25 new roads, which typically involve a lengthy process under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Lastly, FEC approved the public-private partnership (PPP) for Ijora Park in Lagos, which had been initiated by the previous administration and was won by Beta Nigeria Ltd. The consultancy for NNPC and FIRS, responsible for overseeing the projects funded by them, was also approved during the meeting.