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FEC Approves N392.786bn For Ministry Of Works, Customs Others

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…Okays N15.3bn for ICT digital devices for 2023 Census

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday, approved a total of N392,785,113,356 contracts to ministries, parastatals and agencies.

This was disclosed to State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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Among the memoranda that received approvals were two presented on behalf of the National Population Commission (NPC), totaling the sum of N15,300,000,000, for procurement and installation of technology-based gadgets for use in the upcoming 2023 National Population and Housing Census.

Briefing on the approvals for the NPC, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said while the first memorandum was worth N10.9 billion, the second one was valued at N4.4 billion.

READ ALSO: FEC Approves N24.2bn Free Internet For 20 Airports, Varsities Markets

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According to him, “among those memos that were okayed today was the award of the contract for the supply and installation of information and communication technology (ICT) components for the 2023 Population Census. This is for the National Population Commission (NPC). It is meant for census. The ICT component contract was awarded for about N10.9 billion.

“Another contract that was approved for the National Population Commission was the contract for the development and implementation of mobile device management solution for the personal digital assistance devices to be used for the 2023 Population Census. This is in the sum of about N4.4 billion”, he said.

Shehu said council also approved contract for the development of external cost of infrastructure at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) new training academy at N3.3 billion naira.

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He added that the sum of one billion naira was equally approved for the contract for the procurement of 19 vehicles for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

READ ALSO: FEC Approves N454bn For Kano-Niger Republic Rail, Others

The presidential spokesman said council okayed N65 million naira for variation in the cost for the supply of airport fire crash tenders in the Ministry of Aviation.

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Shehu said council approved policy on HIV/AIDS to protect people living with the disease and new regulations on woodworking ecosystem.

According to him, “we don’t have the Minister of Labour and Employment today, but he got two approvals. One is pertaining to the woodworking ecosystem. Government has revised regulations pertaining to woodworking machinery and the entire ecosystem which dated back to 1959. New regulations have been put in place as empowered by the law. And by this approval, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice will domicile and gazette these changes that have been approved.

“His other approval is on policy on HIV/AIDS. Basically, this is to guarantee personal human rights over people with HIV in work places so that they are not discriminated against and they are given equal rights.

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READ ALSO: FEC Okays N2.29bn For Aircraft Assembling Plant In Nigeria

“So, that is what it is about. They are not discriminated against and they are given all that is due to them. And they are respected, especially with regards to their personal and human rights”, he said.

Also speaking to journalists at the post-FEC briefing, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fasola, disclosed that his ministry presented three memoranda, all of which were approved.

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According to him, while the first has is aimed at digitizing all records of the Ministry at the cost of N916,813,356, the other two are focused on physical road works, including the N36.459 billion Kaduna Eastern Bypass augumentation works to be executed on Sukuk Programme, and a N327.281 billion tax credit scheme granted BUA International Limited for construction of some roads in Kwara State.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, told journalists that the Council granted approvals for three contracts for the Nigerian Customs Service, all totaling N20,969,400,000.

“So this is a Nigerian Customs Service barracks and the contract was issued to two companies. Messrs AMSCO Limited is constructing 15 blocks of six numbers three bedroom flats at the Aviation Village here in Abuja. The contract is in the sum of N5.549 billion naira with a delivery period of 81 weeks.

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“The second part of it is the construction of 32 blocks of six two bedroom flats with religious center at the customs service barracks at also at the Aviation Village and this was given to Messrs WARAMS Limited in the sum of N12.843 billion naira with a delivery period of 144 weeks.

READ ALSO: FEC Okays Compulsory Mother Tongue For Teaching In Primary Schools

“The Federal Executive Council also approved the procurement of 192 motor vehicles for the operations and administrative use of the Nigerian Customs Service. Different mix of vehicles, totaling 192, all of them Toyota brands. So there are Toyota Prado, Corolla, Camry, Land Cruiser and ambulances in the total sum of N9.649 billion naira including VAT with a delivery period of four weeks.

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“The third approval that we got was for the award of contract for the purchase of 210 units of residential accommodation at plot 413 Aviation Village, Abuja, for the Nigerian Customs Service, in favour of Messrs Abdulwahab Memorial Nigeria Limited in the sum of N16.125 billion naira, including the VAT”, she said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Mines and Steels Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said Council granted an approval for a new bill to generate a replacement for Nigeria Mineral and Mining Law 2007, which he said is obsolete.

What we did at the council today was just to approve a new bill to go to the National Assembly to replace the old law guiding mining in Nigeria. The law we are operating on now is 2007 Nigeria Mineral and Mining Law and 2007 to date is 16 years.

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“It has become obsolete. A lot of new things have come up in mining. There’s a renewed focus and everyone is coming there and as expressed today, it’s a new frontier for economic growth in Nigeria. So we need to update the law to in line modern realities and the laws with some amendments. The bill, the proposed Act, was passed in the Chamber’s with some amendments”, he disclosed.

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After Fallout With Trump, Elon Musk Says He’s Forming ‘America Party’

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Billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, has disclosed that he is forming a third political party, which he called the ‘America Party,’ after a dramatic falling out with Donald Trump over a tax and spending bill recently signed into law by the President.

Musk, who was the largest individual donor to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, worked with the current US President as the lead of his cost-cutting government agency—the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—until his recent resignation.

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After bowing out of the DOGE role, Tribune Online reports that Musk started criticizing Trump’s “big beautiful bill” because of estimates that he said would add trillions of dollars to the federal deficit.

READ ALSO:Trump Says Will ‘Take A Look’ At Deporting Musk

Speaking via his X social media platform, Musk said, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”

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Musk, a former ‘first buddy’ of the US President, declared that the new party is for freedom: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Meanwhile, Musk’s rift with President Trump last month after intense criticism of the spending bill appeared to have cooled after Musk regretted and deleted the most incendiary posts he made linking Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and calling for the President’s impeachment. According to Musk, those posts ‘went too far.’

However, the world’s richest man reignited the feud over the last several days as the bill neared passage and eventually passed by the House before it was subsequently signed at a White House ceremony.

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READ ALSO:Elon Musk Deletes Post Claiming Trump Was ‘In The Epstein Files’

According to CNN, the extent to which Musk has taken steps to legally form the party is unclear, as party formation requires registering with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that this has happened, CNN reports.

The owner of X, who has made threats during the social media scuffle with Trump, had indicated he wants a party that is fiscally conservative and reins in spending, but has offered few other details about what the party’s platform would be.

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While Musk and Trump reportedly share similar views on contemporary social issues, the former has argued the Republican policy agenda will increase the debt, calling it “debt slavery.”

The two-party system in the United States has long been criticized by both registered Democrats and registered Republicans, but efforts in the last century to form a third party have shown little success. Billionaire Ross Perot ran for president as an independent in 1992, winning nearly a fifth of the popular vote, but carried no states in the election, which was won by Bill Clinton.

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Australian Actor Julian McMahon Is Dead

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Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in Nip/Tuck, Charmed, and Fantastic Four, has died at the age of 56.

McMahon passed away in Clearwater, Florida, on Wednesday following a private battle with cancer.

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His death was confirmed in a statement released on Friday by his wife, Kelly.

The statement read,”With an open heart, I share with the world that Julian McMahon, my beloved husband, died peacefully this week after a valiant effort to overcome cancer.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Liverpool Star Diogo Jota Is Dead

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His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible.

“We wish all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life.

“We are grateful for the memories.”

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Born into a prominent political family, McMahon was the son of former Australian Prime Minister Sir William McMahon.

READ ALSO:BREAKING: Renowned Businessman, Aminu Dantata, Is Dead

In a nod to his family’s legacy, he portrayed an Australian prime minister in the Netflix drama ‘The Residence.’

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McMahon’s career spanned decades, earning him international recognition for his roles as Dr. Christian Troy in ‘Nip/Tuck’, Cole Turner in ‘Charmed’, and Victor Von Doom in ‘Fantastic Four’.

He was married three times, including a high-profile marriage to Australian singer and actress Dannii Minogue, sister of pop icon Kylie Minogue.

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Thai Police Rescue Eight-year-old Boy Living With Dogs, Unable To Speak

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An eight-year-old boy has been rescued in Thailand after authorities discovered him living among dogs and only able to communicate by barking.

According to Dailymail on Friday, the boy, whose name has been withheld, was found on Monday during a welfare check at a ramshackle, drug-infested house in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province.

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Local reports say the child had been living with his mother, 46, and his 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use after a police raid.

Neighbours revealed that the family had long been isolated from the community, and the boy had no contact with other children. Instead, he spent his days with the family’s six dogs, which he reportedly mimicked.

READ ALSO:24-year-old Thai Lady Arrested At Lagos Airport With Illicit Drugs

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“He didn’t speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,” said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation which worked with police on the rescue.

Authorities said the boy had only attended school once, despite his mother receiving government stipends of around 400 baht (£9) meant to support his education.

His mother hasn’t allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,” Hongsakul explained. “After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.”

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Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family’s behaviour.

The mother was reportedly known in the area for begging at temples and has now been charged with drug use.

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A local teacher described the boy’s environment as a “red zone for drugs” and said that neighbours forbade their children from interacting with him.

‘The house is in a red zone for drugs,’ one teacher explained. ”The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.”

The disturbing situation came to light after a headteacher raised the alarm, prompting activists and police to raid the house on June 30.

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Images shared in Thai media showed authorities at the shack surrounded by trees and several dogs.

Following the rescue, the boy was taken to a children’s home, where he will receive medical and psychological care.

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Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress.

Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Credit: Dailymail
The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We’ll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,” she said.

Cases of so-called “feral children”, youngsters raised with little or no human contact, are extremely rare but often highlight the severe consequences of neglect.

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Experts cite the example of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl found in 1991 living with dogs after her parents abandoned her. Though she eventually learned to speak and reintegrated into society, she still struggled with some developmental challenges.

Authorities in Thailand say they are committed to giving the rescued boy a fresh start and the chance to live a normal life.

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