It is no longer news to Nigerians that the country lacks the culture of maintenance, especially with regard to management of public properties.
This has affected many government properties such as buildings, machineries, vehicles and other items that can be put to use for the benefit of the people.
The Federal Government Secretariat in Ilorin, Kwara State, is one of such government properties that have suffered neglect by past governments since its commissioning in 1989.
The building, which is an eight storey structure plus a ground floor, happens to be the only giant building complex in the entire state housing almost all the federal government ministries, parastatals, and agencies.
A visit to the giant building some years back showed that attention has not been paid to the multi-million naira complex whose existence was beginning to threaten the lives of those occupying it.
The building, it was learnt, was built and commissioned by Maj. Gen. Mamman Tsofo Kontagora on 13th November 1989. He was the minister of Works and Housing then but since then nothing has been done to maintain the building.
Our correspondent learnt that the federal government built only four of such giant buildings to serve as its secretariat in four states – Kwara, Kano, Rivers and Sokoto.
The building, it was gathered, housed 20 federal government agencies with more requests from others that want to relocate to the complex.
However, the secretariat received its first facelift during the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari with the total renovation and provision of amenities that have long deteriorated.
The Comptroller of Housing in Kwara State, Architect Kunle Shonibare, lamented the poor state of the secretariat when he assumed office after his posting. He however said that with the Buhari-led administration, through the minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the place has been totally overhauled and could stand shoulder to shoulder with other secretariats across the country.
“It may interest you to know that the building was not been renovated in the last 20 years of its existence. The situation of the secretariat was so bad when I resumed but now it has been repaired. We started the repair work with dislodging of the septic tanks and reconstruction of the collapsed fence.
“What baffles me most was that these type of buildings are just four in Nigeria and if this present government had not made any move to repair it, if it spoils completely, it will take us triple of what was spent on its construction to repair it but that is now in the past, thanks to the present administration in the country,” Shonibare said.
The comptroller added that all the leaking roofs had been replaced, conference room which has long been abandoned has also be repaired and now functional, borehole sunk for the use of occupants and visitors to the building.
Despite the renovation, our reporter found, that the secretariat has been disconnected from power supply as a result of debt incurred.
While the generating set serving the building has also packed up for sometime now. The offices in the build now depend on smaller generators for their power supply.”
Reacting to the challenges still facing the secretariat, the comptroller said the power issue and the elevator which stopped working for many years will be addressed soon.
“Like I said before, the renovation of the building is going to be a complete one and it is in phases. The issue of electricity and repair of the elevator will be addressed soon as I learnt that it has been included in the budget. The repair work has not finished,” he said.
“The agencies we accommodate here include Ministry of Works and Housing, federal information services, Unilorin Teaching Hospital clinic, Bioresources Development Centre, NIS, NBS, NAFDAC, Port Health, NOA, National Archives, Federal Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Mine and Steel.
“Others are Federal Audit, Federal Ministry of Education, NIPOST, Nigeria Geological Services Agency, ICPC, NDE, Migrants council, FRSC, Ministry of Agric, DPR among others.
Shonibare, however, disclosed that some of the agencies have already moved out of the secretariat to their personal offices within the state, adding that some of them have not submitted their keys for new occupants to take over the offices.
“Offices of the Federal Pay Office, Federal Character Commission, Civil Defence, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, National Sugar Regulatory Council, DPR and pharmacy council have all moved out but we still have a lot of requests that we cannot grant because the offices are occupied,” he said.
Some visitors to the federal government Secretariat while speaking with Daily Trust commended the federal government for the renovation and urged it to expedite action on the restoration of power supply and repair of the elevator at the building.
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