The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N3.9billion variation in public housing for five subsisting contracts.

This was disclosed on Wednesday by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola at the end of the FEC meeting.

Fashola said the five contracts are secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa, Osun, Nasarawa and Zamfara states.

Following the approval, the minister said the sum changes the full contract amount from N13.56billion to N17.54billion.

“The cost of materials has altered significantly since 2011 when this project started, and we want to complete them.

“These secretariats are necessary to enable us house federal workers in these states. The problem arose from the creation of states. In asset sharing, some of the old states took the old secretariat.

“For our staff in those states across all federal ministries, either in rented or official premises for their work or squatting in state government premises,” Fashola said.

In similar development, the Council also approved the rehabilitation of a dam in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

FCT Minister, Muhammed Bello, who revealed this said the rehabilitation of the Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant Phase 2 would gulp N1.5billion.

The contract which will last 12 months is expected to provide water for FCT residents for the next 30 years.

“As you know, the Water Treatment Plant is a very important infrastructure project. The contract is to rehabilitate that treatment plant because it has been in operation for about 30 years.

“It all fits into Mr President’s agenda of providing needed infrastructure and also rehabilitating the already existing infrastructure,” he said.