Nigeria Content Online

The federal
government yesterday approved the award of contract for the procurement
of a 360 degrees visual tower stimulator for the training of Air
Traffic Controllers (ATC) in the sum of £1.405 million.

This is intended to upgrade the status of the aviation sector in the country to attract trainees from other parts of the globe.

The visual Tower Stimulator is an equipment which allows for the flexibility training of Air Traffic Controllers.

The
FG also approved that the proposed USD500 million 10-years Sovereign
Bond be issued in the United States dollar instead of the Nigerian
naira currency.

While briefing reporters alongside the
minister of information, Dora Akunyili, and the minister of state,
Labaran Maku, after the Federal Executive Council meeting, the aviation
minister, Fidelia Njeze, said the approval was intended to turn the
institute to a hub for aviation training in West Africa.

“Sequel
to a memo presented by the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze,
council approved the award of contract for the direct procurement of 1
no., Micronav 360 Degrees Visual Tower Stimulator, in favour of Messrs
Micro Nav Ltd. in Bournemouth, UK, in the sum of £1,405,293.00
(equivalent of N326.3billion) plus N454,683,264.84 for import duty and
other taxes,” Mrs. Akunyili said.

Mrs. Njeze said the approval
for Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) is a clear
manifestation of Federal Government’s commitment towards upgrading the
facilities at the college.

“We have installed virtual
stimulator that is meant for cockpit training; one approved today is
for radar training. Currently, we have been training our air traffic
controllers outside the country, with the attendant huge economic loss.
With this approval, we will now be training air traffic controllers
within the country.

“We are also acquiring helicopters, and for
the first time, the college will go into training of helicopter pilots
and it will be the first in Nigeria and West Africa. Now, we are going
to save that foreign exchange for other priority projects of
government,” she said.

Working on budget

Council also
approved the direct procurement of two Bell 206L-IV helicopters, in
favour of Messrs Bell Helicopter Textron Incorporated, USA, in the sum
of N1billion, with a completion period of 12 months.

Another
approval by council is the award of contract for the construction of a
2 x 60MVA 132/33KV substation in Kaduna, in favour of Skipper
Electrical Limited, with a completion period of 18 months.

During
the post FEC briefing, NEXT sought to know when the Council will end
the awarding of contracts for the year and Mrs. Akunyili said the
council will not stop giving contracts because government will not stop
working.
However, the council has till the end of March next year to fully execute its 2010 budget.