By Ben Agande
ABUJA – The Federal Executive Council, Wednesday, took a bold step towards immortalising the first president of Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as it approved the sum of N1,496billion, for the building of a Mausoleum in his honour in Onitsha.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Dr. Rueben Abati, who briefed state House correspondents, after the meeting of the council said the President had given his commitment during his visit to Anambra State , recently, that the issue of the Mausoleum would be revisited.
Dr Abati who was flanked by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Ama Pepple, and the Minister of Mines and Steel, Mohammed Sada, said that the Mausoleum has been an issue since 2006 and that “the President during his visit to Anambra State had given his word that the issue will be revisited and that was done today because the country owes it to posterity and the memory of the great Zik to ensure that the mausoleum is built and there is concrete assurance by the ministry of Lands and Housing that this time around the Mausoleum will be completed.
The Minister of Works and Housing in her contribution said “the Federal Executive Council approved the award of contract for the completion of Zik’s Mausoleum, a Mausoleum in memory of our first President. It was given out for a sum of N1,496,531,483 with a completion of 13 months.
This contract was originally under the Presidency but it was stalled and had to be cancelled three times, but in 2010 it was transferred when it became a full fleshed ministry; Ministry of Lands and Housing Development, it was transferred to the ministry” she said adding that this time they were confident that the contractors are able to carry out the work competently and finish in the 13month given to them.
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