FEC approves $461.9m Bonny Deep seaport

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved $461,924,369 for construction of deep seaport at Bonny, River State.

The project will be under Private-Public- Partnership (PPP) program and at no cost to the Federal government.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, made this known when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the 18th virtual meeting of the FEC.

The meeting was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

The minister also revealed that FEC approved the award of contracts for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri eastern narrow gauge railway, with new branch lines and trans-shipment facilities.

“The Federal Executive Council today, approved the award of contract for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Port Harcourt to Maiduguri Eastern Narrow Gauge Railway, with new branch lines and trans-shipment facilities,” he said.

“It also approved the construction of a deep seaport in Bonny under PPP and construction of a railway industrial park in Port Harcourt.

“The railway line will be at the cost of $3,020,279,549. The industrial park, which is under PPP, at no cost to federal government, will cost $241,154,389.31.

“The Bonny deep seaport will cost $461,924,369, at no cost to the federal government.

“The Port Harcourt to Maiduguri narrow gauge railway will have new branch lines: from Port Harcourt to Bonny and from Port Harcourt to Owerri are new lines.

“There is another connecting to narrow gauge to standard guage at Kafanchan.

“There is a branch line from Gombe or before Maiduguri to Damaturu and Gashua. That’s what has been approved.”