The Bayelsa State Government has awarded a N45 billion contract to construct a new 9-storey secretariat complex in the state capital, as part of efforts to improve working conditions for civil servants.
This announcement was made during the 136th executive council meeting presided over by Governor Douye Diri, where the architectural blueprint of the iconic building was presented, as reported by the African Independent Television (AIT) on Friday.
Governor Diri said the decision to build the new secretariat was in response to civil servants’ requests for more space, aiming to resolve overcrowding and reduce costs from renting additional offices.
Following the meeting, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, provided further details about the project.
He stated that the contract would be awarded to the Central Procurement Board of Bayelsa State, with the project slated for completion in 30 months. The total cost of the project is not expected to exceed N45 billion.
“The contract would be awarded to the Central Procurement Board of Bayelsa State
“The Building itself is a 9-storey structure.
“The time frame for the completion of the project is estimated to be 30 months and the project is to be constructed at the cost of not more than N45 billion,” Teibowei stated.
Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, the Commissioner for Information, highlighted additional features of the secretariat, including a crèche and other modern facilities to improve the work environment for state employees.
“In that secretariat, a crèche is already part of what we are expecting and other facilities are also there.
“I want to believe that at the end the workers would be happy and the state will look more beautiful,” she said.
More insight
In addition to the secretariat project, the executive council meeting also focused on initiatives designed to stimulate the state’s economic development.
As part of these efforts, the Bayelsa State Government unveiled a loan program aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a critical driver of economic growth.
The scheme, jointly funded by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Bayelsa State Government, will see both entities contribute N2 billion each to provide much-needed financial assistance to local businesses.
Ebieri Jones, the Commissioner for Industry, Trade & Investment, Bayelsa State, highlighted that the initiative will offer loans at single-digit interest rates, making it more affordable for SMEs to access capital, expand their operations, and contribute to the overall economic well-being of the state.
“The way to fund it is for the bank of industry (BOI) to bring N2 billion and the state government to bring N2 billion.
“The beauty of this scheme is that loans would be granted to these enterprises in a single digit basis,” Jones said.
