The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved N47.2bn to boost power supply in the country.

It will supply additional 40 megawatts of power to the national grid, according to the Minister of Power, Mr Sale Mamman.

He told State House correspondents after the FEC meeting, which was held via video conferencing, that the 40 MW would be moved from the Kashimbilla Dam in Taraba State.

The minister stated, “The council approved the ministry’s memo for the revised estimated total cost for the augmentation of the subsisting contract in the sum of N4,235,303,821.90, to provide additional 40 megawatts, currently being generated from Kashimbilla, via Takum, Wukari and Yandev, to the national grid.”

He listed states in the North-East and Benue State as the beneficiaries of the 40MW when evacuated.

Mamman added that the country could lose up to 120 gigawatts of power or $9m in a year if the energy was not evacuated from the dam.

The FEC also approved a separate N683m for the Nigerian Ports Authority.

The money is for the procurement of 19 operational vehicles.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, who spoke on the approval, explained that it was the first time the NPA would buy vehicles in the last four years.

 He said, “The council kindly approved the sum of N683,613,000 for the purchase of 19 vehicles for the NPA.

“This is the first time in four years that the NPA is buying any vehicle; that is why the council considered and approved it.

“These are operational vehicles not for management staff or any other thing. They are all Toyota vehicles. “

Meanwhile, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said the reason the FEC was held via teleconferencing was the raging COVID-19.

However, he told reporters that the virtual option was picked to enable governance to continue to run.

Mohammed added that the e-option was also efficient as only ministers who had memos to present were required to be physically present.

He said, “It has been quite a while and I am sure you all know why. It is COVID-19. But, we must not allow COVID-19 to completely stop us; it might have slowed us down but we must find ways of coping with COVID-19.

“The task force and the various emergency response centres all over the country are doing their best to arrest and slow down the spread. Government also thought it was important to at least find a way of running governance. That is why we resorted to technology.

“After a long time, for the first time in the history of this country; if I can remember, a federal executive council meeting was held via teleconferencing, where only ministers who had memoranda to present were physically present at the villa.

“Other ministers joined from their various offices via teleconferencing. If this is anything to go by, it has even proven to be very efficient way of running government.”