NIGERIA: Tinubu Presides Over FEC Meeting As Council Honors Late Oyagbola, Clark

By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday, presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.

The meeting which commenced at around 2 PM, started with a minute of silence in honor of two former members of the council, Mrs. Adenike Ebunoluwa Oyagbola and Chief Edwin Clark.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) informed the Council of the passing of Oyagbola, Nigeria’s first female minister, who served as Minister of National Planning from 1979 to 1983, who passed away on Friday, February 28, at the age of 93.

The Council also mourned Chief Edwin Clark, an elder statesman who served as Federal Commissioner for Information in 1975 under the late General Murtala Mohammed’s administration.

Clark, who played a key role in establishing the Midwest College of Technology (now the University of Benin), passed away on Monday, February 17, at the age of 97.

While the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting was not disclosed beforehand, The FEC Meeting, marked the second meeting of the council this week.

During the Monday session, major projects including were approved including the ₦733 billion for road infrastructure projects nationwide, including the 164-kilometer Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road (₦507 billion) and a flyover at Abakpa, Enugu State.

₦1.09 billion insurance package for critical assets and personnel across all federal airports in Nigeria and ₦2.5 billion for a surveillance satellite to tackle illegal and unregulated mining activities, were also approved.

The council also approved provisional licenses for 11 private universities in the country.