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The sprawling, ultra-modern Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat Complex built by the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is enhancing the efficiency of civil servants in Delta State.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the multi-billion naira state secretariat, located along Mariam Babangida Way in Asaba and named after the Asagba of Asaba, was inaugurated in 2021 after the ground-breaking ceremony in 2018.
The 7-storey Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat, laced with state-of-the-art facilities, houses 27 ministries of the 29 ministries in Delta State.
For years, public establishments remained in rented buildings, a situation that continued to encumber the effective delivery of services by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
During a media tour of the ultra-modern secretariat, Mr Emmanuel Siakpere, Director, Special Project in the State, disclosed how the new secretariat has served for the efficiency of civil servants in the State.
“This is Prof Chike Edozien Secretariat built two years ago by the State Government under Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. It is a 7-storey building. It accommodates 27 ministries of the 29 ministries in Delta State.
“It has saved the cost of paying for rent and bringing the business of the State government under one roof instead of moving from one place to another.
“You have something to do in the Ministry of Justice and you have something to do in maybe Economic Planning, Finance; it does not take you everywhere. So, you just do everything under one roof,” Mr Siakpere said.
TNG recalls when Delta State was created in 1991, the first secretariat complex popularly referred to as ‘Works’ was hurriedly put in place by the then military administrator, Group Captain Luke Ochulor.
The complex barely accommodated the MDAs and the army of public servants relocated from Benin City, the capital of defunct Bendel State, where Delta was carved out from.
While successive governments in the State constructed some office buildings in Asaba, so many public establishments continue to remain in rented buildings.
Recognizing the deficit and determined to change the narrative, Governor Okowa on assumption of office in 2015 conceived the idea of the ultra-modern Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat complex.
Developed from obscurity to an imposing and audacious edifice and occupying about 65,000 square metres, Mr Siakpere said the secretariat has enhanced the productivity of civil servants.
“The State Secretariat has enhanced the productivity of civil servants. Workers come early to work and close late because the environment is so friendly and conducive. We have 24 hours power supply and there is Internet connectivity. All offices are connected to the Internet.
“For mothers, there is a place to cater for the needs of their children while they do their work. Workers bring their children here. There is a creche. They take good care of the children at the creche.
“The new secretariat is so conducive for work so much that we even have to be pleading with workers to leave their offices after the close of business,” Siakpere said.
On the maintenance of the secretariat, he said: “The Okowa administration has put measures in place for the maintenance of the State Secretariat. For instance, the landscape, every year, we clean. There are plans for re-painting of the secretariat every two years. So, there are measures for maintenance”.
Earlier, Okowa had addressed concerns relating to the maintenance of the secretariat, stressing that alternative management service was being worked out to ensure that the secretariat complex stood the test of time.
“We are already working up a process for a management service to ensure that the secretariat is being looked after in such a manner that several years to come, it will still be in a very functional state. We will make sure that before the inauguration, it will be put in place,” Okowa had said.
The State Governor had also disclosed that the secretariat is powered 24 hours by the independent power plant of the state government, the same power source that serves the Government House and other government offices.
Meanwhile, on the decision of the State government to name the edifice after Prof. Chike Edozien, Okowa had said the traditional ruler’s tenure brought remarkable peace and sustainable development to the State capital.
He had emphasised that naming the secretariat after the Asagba of Asaba was part of tribute to him for his belief in the unity of the state.
“I think he is very worthy of it not because he is a professor of medicine and one of the best we have had and it is not because he is the oldest professor of medicine we have today in this country.
“But, as the Asagba of Asaba, it is during his time that we have witnessed some critical changes in the face of Asaba. In his time, we have witnessed a lot of developments in Asaba, and most importantly, peace.
“We have seen a lot of movement of people from other places into Asaba and he has been able to administer the town in such a manner that it has accommodated strangers.
“There is no better administration than that. So, we must give kudos to the man for being able to manage Asaba. He played a lot of role in what we have today as united people,” Okowa explained.
TNG reports contract for the project was awarded in December 2016 to North China Construction Nigeria Limited, a Chinese company said to be a grade `A’ firm classified in the same category as Julius Berger Nigeria Limited. However, mobilization to the site was in November 2017.
The project was funded under the Contractor-Financed model, which means that the contractor used its resources to build the secretariat, while the State will repay under an arrangement agreed by both parties.