This was disclosed by the media aide to the Presidency, Garba Shehu after the Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Contracts

Shehu noted that the FEC okayed today the award of the contract for the supply and installation of information and communication technology (ICT) components for the 2023 population census, he added:

• ”This is for the National Population Commission (NPC). It is meant for the 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.”

Other contracts

The media official added that the FEC also approved the contract for the development of external cost of infrastructure at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) new training academy at N3.3 billion and N1billion was equally approved for the contract for the procurement of 19 vehicles for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

He added the council-approved policy on HIV/AIDS to protect people living with the disease and new regulations on the woodworking ecosystem, saying:

• “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 workplaces so that they are not discriminated against and are given equal rights.

”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.

World Bank

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, revealed that the Federal Government had secured a World Bank facility worth $800 million dollars, which she says would be used to support the post-petroleum subsidy palliatives requirement in the country.

• “When we were working on the 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the Appropriation Act, we made that provision to enable us to exit fuel subsidy by June 2023.
• ”We’re on course, we’re having different stakeholders’ engagements, and we’ve secured some funding from the World Bank.
• “That is the first tranche of palliatives that will enable us to give cash transfers to the most vulnerable in our society that have now been registered in a national social register.