The federal secretariat complex located in the Three Arms Zone of Abuja in the FCT which houses over 10 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is one of the popular public buildings in the heart of the capital city.
However, the current state of the complex is nothing to write home about as it has consistently been left in a dilapidated state over the years.
Daily Trust discovered that in 2022 alone, N8.1bn was granted to the FCT Administration (FCTA) for the rehabilitation of the secretariat. However, the outlook of the complex does not suggest that such an amount was put into the renovation.
Checks by Daily Trust showed that phases one and two of the secretariat house the Federal ministries of education, health, aviation, labour and employment, and science and technology.
Others are the office of the head of service of the federation, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) office, federal ministries of youths, sports development, among others.
But despite the presence of the MDAs, the current working environment has raised eyebrows.
Meanwhile, Daily Trust reports that the secretariat was inaugurated in 1993 when the then Head of State, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, moved the FCT from Lagos to Abuja.
Checks by Daily Trust showed that the N8.1bn was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in March, 2021, and was followed by the flag off of the renovation project in November, 2022.
The immediate past Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Bello, said the project had a 24-month lifespan.
He said, “This phase of what we are doing is just a tip of the iceberg in what needs to be done. We have to all work together to get funding to rehabilitate this building and all the other public buildings in Abuja.”
Earlier, the then Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Esan, noted that the rehabilitation project was for critical wet areas like toilets, and called on the construction company, Julius Berger, to ensure that it was completed in good time.
Similarly, the then Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engr Shehu Hadi Ahmad, disclosed that the FEC, after due process, approved the award of the Phase 1 of the contract to Julius Berger at rate of N8,110,665,676.79.
However, a visit to the federal secretariat by our correspondent revealed that the security architecture of the building is loose; with no concrete security apparatus put in place to safeguard the lives and property of over 1,000 workers.
One of the obvious areas affected by the decay is the part housing the Federal Ministry of Health. The walls of the building are gradually being washed away by rain and water dripping from air conditioners.
In addition, most of the buildings are covered with the posters of candidates seeking different offices in civil service unions.
Daily Trust also learnt that there is epileptic power supply in the building, most of the toilets are unkempt, just as most of the elevators are not functional.
Some of the civil servants spoke to Daily Trust off record because they are not permitted to speak to the press.
One of the workers said, “The entire place is becoming a nightmare for workers, especially the issue of water scarcity which has been a perennial issue. In most cases, many workers who are pressed will endure and get back to their homes or look for nearby open places to ease themselves. Others have now devised a new style by entering some of the commercial banks in the complex in the guise of carrying out banking transactions only to end up in their conveniences.”
Another civil servant said, “The secretariat is the face of the government. The location says it all, but from the outlook to the inner look is nothing to write home about to the extent that ordinary water and power cannot be guaranteed for only eight hours for workers to use during work days.
“We are aware that some money has been released for renovation, but we haven’t seen much and much needs to be done. The buildings are over 30 years old and they require urgent help and attention.”
In the same vein, a security personnel said, “Even we as security personnel are not well-equipped to guard this building. Sometimes at night when there is no light it’s a challenge; although it is not always, the entire building is begging for attention because things have gone so bad that people use an uncompleted building here to cook. It is just sad.”
Daily Trust tried reaching out to the FCTA for reaction but it was to no avail as the Director Press, Muhammad Hazat Sule, did not pick calls put across to his mobile phone and did not reply to an SMS sent to him.
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