FG Approves N3.4bn Surveillance Aircraft for Customs

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Wednesday, approved the sum of N3.4 billion for the procurement of an aircraft by the nation’s Customs Service.

Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba, made the disclosure at the end of Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

“The Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning presented a couple of memos for which approvals were obtained. The first one was for the award of contract for the procurement of a Cessna Caravan aircraft by the Nigerian Customs in the sum of N3,447,442,710 inclusive of 7.5 percent VAT with a delivery period of 12 months,” he said.

He said the aircraft will help a lot in carrying out air surveillance as well as curb the activities of smugglers.

“This aircraft is an addition to the current fleet in the Customs Service and it is aimed towards combating smuggling activities and enhancing intelligence gathering. It is also to provide aerial surveillance and reconnaissance for the customs across our borders,” Agba added.

He further disclosed that the sum of N45.9 billion was approved as augmentation for the cost of contracts for the construction of the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (NDIC) Head office Building in Abuja and Lagos, including its training institute in Lagos.

“The augmentation amount is a total of N45, 937, 319, 279.44. There are three different projects here; the first one is the NDIC Head Office Annex project in Abuja, the Lagos Office project and the Lagos Training Centre project in Lekki-Lagos,” he said.

April 21, 2023