FG set to remodel federal secretariat, Abuja —Oyo-Ita

FEDERAL Government is set to remodel Federal Secretariat, Abuja, through Public Private Partnership (PPP) to ensure the safety of staff and boost productivity, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said.

She made this known while signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Pilot PPP with Alpha Mead Development Company Ltd. on Monday in Abuja.

She said that the MoU was to enable the company to remodel the ground floor and the car parking lots of blocks ‘A’ Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase II, Abuja.

Oyo-Ita added that facilities in the secretariat had deteriorated over the years due to the lack of maintenance, while others had become obsolete.

She noted that the state of the building was no longer conducive for workers, hence the partnership was necessary to give the building a facelift.

She said “we have been seeking for funds to work on the secretariat for many years, so we decided to think out of the box and go into PPP to resuscitate the federal secretariat.

“The building is in deplorable state. If you give staff good working environment, they would be encouraged to put in their best.

“This is a pilot project, if we are able to succeed in this, we will expand the project to all the phases of the secretariat.”

The head of the civil service explained that the Development Control unit of Federal Capital Territory
had scrutinised the modified design of the secretariat.

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She urged the company that would handle the job to ensure that the project was delivered according to specification and on time.

Mr Femi Akintunde, the Group Managing Director of Alpha Mead Development Company Ltd., said that productivity enhancement was achievable with conducive working environment.

He said that the pilot project would start with the secretariat’s Ground Floor, Block A, where over 1,000 office spaces would be created and 800 car park spaces to ensure the safety and sanity of staff.

He said “partnering with government is usually slow but I have seen speed and determination in this project on the part of the Head of Service.

“We want to create a serviceable and maintenance workspace that will meet world standard. The Federal Secretariat is the engine room that drives the nation’s economy and must be conducive.

“We are looking at taking limited resources and turning it into something great.”

Akintunde added that the project would take six months to complete and would be ready for inauguration in January 2019.

He urged the government to have confidence in local capacity and expertise of the country to ensure sustainable development.

Mr Leon Aliboh, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, said that the partnership was in line with the 2017-2020 Public Service Reform Strategy Plan.

He noted that the project was aimed at putting into optimal use, all underutilised, abandoned and dilapidated Federal Government assets nationwide.

Aliboh thanked the Head of Service for the foresight and determination to ensure the pilot PPP initiative became a reality.