Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, and Minister of State, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, have called for urgent release of funds to complete the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) headquarters in Abuja, insisting that the edifice will end decades of rent burden and boost productivity of workers.
During an inspection tour of the seven-storey edifice, on Tuesday, Dingyadi expressed satisfaction with the pace of work and urged the agency to take possession of the facility as soon as possible.
“The contractor is trying very hard to ensure that he meets our targets. So I am satisfied with what I have seen so far. I do hope that the NDE will try to move in as quickly as possible. We are paying rent on the old building, but by the time they move here, that will be off our necks,” he said.
On her part, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, lamented the absence of proper office accommodation for staff and even top officials, noting that there is urgent need to release funds to fast-track the project.
“I am very optimistic that very soon the NDE will move in. Like I said before, right now, even the Minister of State does not have an office. The place where I am staying currently, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation has been allocated that place, but I have to stay there because where do I go to?”
“So I believe that we need to put all our energy in this NDE building to make sure that it is finished with speed of light, so that those who do not have offices will just come in here to be able to do their work.
“And like the contractor was saying, they have done three floors. Right now, with the capacity of NDE, three floors will not be enough to accommodate the staff of the directorate and that of the ministry, including the DG himself. So I believe that what needs to be done is to make sure that funds are allocated to them to make sure that the whole complex is ready, before the end of the year,” Onyejeocha stated
Director-General of NDE, Mr. Silas Agara, thanked the ministers and President Bola Tinubu for supporting the project, recalling that the agency had been operating from rented facilities for over three decades.
“Well, we have not achieved much yet because it is still a work in progress. And we are not where we want to be. But we are better off coming from where we were.
“You will recall that the NDE has been operating from a rented facility for over 30 years. Since the creation of NDE, we have been operating from a rented facility. But it takes a leader with the political will to be able to make the facility available for the use. And that is where we are today.”
The DG further recalled that the structure was originally designed as a hotel to serve the hospitality industry. However, following its seizure by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the property was reallocated to the NDE and subsequently converted into an office complex.
Agara added that once completed, the project would motivate staff and improve efficiency.
According to him, “Good environment will certainly motivate the staff to put in more in driving the process of NDE.
“Like you know, NDE operates from over 36 states including Abuja. And we are supposed to be providing hope to a lot of Nigerians, especially those in the labour market. But when you visit the old office of the NDE, of course, all the hope you have will be dashed.”
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