During a cabinet meeting led by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved several strategic infrastructure and health initiatives. A primary decision was the authorization of an airstrip construction in Gboko, Benue State. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, noted that this 34.4 billion Naira project, awarded to CCECC Nigeria Limited, aims to support security forces in countering banditry and terrorism while facilitating humanitarian and emergency medical aid in the Middle Belt.
In the health sector, the FEC approved the transformation of the Kaltungo snake-bite treatment centre in Gombe State into the National Snake Bite Research and Medical Centre. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, explained that this facility will focus on research, clinical training, and specialized care to address the approximately 43,000 annual snake-bite cases in Nigeria.
Furthermore, the government approved 6.9 billion Naira for 10 compressed natural gas-powered blood-donation vans to improve blood collection across geopolitical zones, currently at only 30 percent of the 1.8 million units needed annually. Additional approvals included 62 billion Naira for the procurement of tuberculosis commodities to bolster detection and eventually support local drug manufacturing, alongside 25 billion Naira for reproductive health and family-planning supplies to be distributed through primary healthcare centers nationwide.
