The Federal Executive Council has approved the upward review of the contract for the rehabilitation of the Ndiagu/Umana-Awka Highway, which stretches from Enugu to Anambra States in South East Nigeria.

The approval was given at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting, said the contract sum was reviewed from N10.3billion to N15.734billion.

Fashola said the contract was awarded in 2012 and “captured as Umanaa, Ndiagu, Agba, Ebenebe, Amansea, Awka and spurs to Umumba road in section two in Enugu State.”

According to him, the roads included in the contract were spurs off the Enugu-Onitha Highway to six communities, including, Ebenebe, Umana Ndiagu, Nkpodu, Ekeagu and Ugwuoba.

“Because of lack of appropriate budgeting and funding, all of these projects could not be completed,” Fashola said, adding “there were also failures in the implementation as we inherited it.”

Fashola said that the upward review also took into consideration the need to provide for erosion control measures and drains along the road.