Business
Kaduna Invests N79m In Solid Minerals Exploration
The Kaduna State Government has awarded a contract worth
N79.9 million for solid minerals exploration, strategy and marketing phase II
to a consulting firm.
The state’s Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Saidu
Adamu, made the disclosure after the meeting of the state’s Executive Council
at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna.
He said the consulting firm would undertake a study tour of
areas speculated to have various deposits of solid mineral resources for
exploration.
Adamu said that expanding the scope of the state’s
internally-generated revenue, informed the decision to award the contract.
He said that the contractor would find out if the deposits
were of commercial quantity and worth exploiting.
The commissioner said that the council approved upward
review of the ongoing Kaduna fourth bridge and dual carriage way from the
initial N4.3 billion to N4.7 billion.
He said the increase followed the increase of cost of
bitumen and other essentials needed for the completion of the work.
According to him, additional N542.3 million will be needed
as there is a provision of N198.6 million of contingency for the projects,
leaving the government to source for the balance of N337.2 million.
He announced the setting up of a committee by the council
under the leadership of the state’s commissioner for rural and community
development to embark on mass housing projects in the state under a PPP
arrangement.
The committee has the commissioners for justice, Lands,
Survey and Country Planning as well as t Local Government as members.
It has been given two weeks to submit its report.