Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a 100 million loan from the International Development Association (IDA) to support the government in financing its Universal Basic Education (UBE) projects.

Information Minister, Prof. Jerry Gana said after the meeting yesterday in Abuja that the soft loan, which interest rate and moratorium was not disclosed, would be paid back in 25 years.

He said the money would be used to execute UBE projects in 16 states, including Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Lagos, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers and Taraba.

Gana said the objective for the loan was to execute projects that would improve the quality, efficiency as well as increase the relevance of education at local, state and Federal Government levels.

He noted that the projects would address priority needs of schools in the respective states, support public and private schools, while classrooms and existing facilities in them would be reconstructed and rehabilitated.

Gana also said the money would be used to buy books and instructional materials for students in the schools that would benefit from the project.

Apart from the loan, he said that FEC approved contract for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) terminal equipment at NITEL international gateways in Enugu, Lagos and Kaduna.

The project would be handled by L3 global solution company at the cost of $5.4 million dollars, Gana said.

The Federal Government also approved a seven-year strategic development plan for the nation's solid minerals' sector.

Addressing newsmen after the FEC meeting, the Solid Minerals Minister, Mrs Dupe Adelaja, said the approval was part of efforts to diversify the nation's revenue base.

She said the implementation of the plan, which was the product of a committee, earlier set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo, would lead to rapid and sustainable economic growth as well as reduce poverty in the country.

Adelaja said the plan included a review of minerals and mining laws in such a way that they would be attractive to foreign investors.

She also said the government would carry out airborne survey to determine the type, quality and quantity of solid minerals available in the country.

The plan would ensure that value was added to the solid minerals produced in the country, she said, while the ministry would be restructured to cope with new demands of the sector.

The minister said the interest of small scale miners would be taken care of in the plan, as there would be an awareness programme to teach them the best mining practices, motivate them, provide water, hospitals and other amenities to make them comfortable in their areas of operation.

Adelaja said the implementation of the plan had commenced and that the minerals and mining act of 1999 had been sent to the Federal Ministry of Justice for fine-tuning before it would go to the National Assembly.

She said the airborne survey had commenced for gold, tantalite and zinc, and that government invested a lot of funds on the project last year.

She said the airborne survey would cost N2 billion, while N1.5 billion had been earmarked for the small miners' programme, just as an undisclosed amount would be spent on World Bank consultants involved in the review of the mining laws.

FEC also considered a draft bill on an appropriate legal fra-mework for the establishment of a National Volunteer Service Agency.

Gana told newsmen after the FEC meeting that the move was part of efforts to involve Nige-rian professionals abroad in national development.

He said the draft bill would be sent to the National Assembly for consideration and passage into law.

On those to participate in the scheme, the minister said that they would include Nigerians in diaspora, who are gainfully engaged in their various countries of abode, irrespective of their age.