The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has commenced the remodelling of its headquarters in Lafia, Nasarawa State, following the handover of the facility to the commission by the state government.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony in Lafia on Wednesday, the NCDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, said the project was necessary to provide adequate office space for staff and create a conducive working environment.
Tsenyil said the commission had been operating in the region for barely 12 months and needed to begin implementing its mandate of accelerating development across the North Central.
He explained that the commission needed to upgrade the facility before recruiting more staff, noting that there was an urgent need to “hit the ground running” because of the limited time available to the relatively new commission.
The managing director disclosed that more than N400 million had been approved for the remodelling project, which is expected to be completed within 16 weeks before its commissioning.
He urged Geodata Construction, the contractor handling the project, to work diligently and ensure the facility was delivered according to specifications, warning that poor workmanship would not be tolerated.
Tsenyil also stressed the urgency of completing the project, saying the commission could not afford delays as it prepares to commence staff recruitment.
“We cannot afford to keep our staff under the sun,” he said, while appealing to the contractors to ensure timely delivery of the project.
The NCDC Executive Director in charge of Projects, Atika Ajanah, said the remodelled headquarters would accommodate more than 100 members of staff.
She explained that the commission currently has five directorates, with executive directors also expected to have offices at the facility.
“We are looking at this complex housing 100 and even more people,” Ajanah said.
Meanwhile, the Site Engineer representing Geodata Construction, Jim Jibril, assured the commission that the project would be executed in line with the approved specifications.
Jibril said the contractor had completed the necessary preparations to commence work, including mobilising equipment to Nasarawa State.
He expressed confidence that the remodelling would be completed within 15 to 16 weeks.
“By God’s grace, in the next three to four months, we are going to see a new phase of this building,” he said.
