Bayelsa State Governor's Office To Cost N33.8b

Seriake Dickson, Bayelsa Governor
Segun James in Yenagoa
Following the collapse and the subsequent demolition of the Bayelsa State governor’s office, the state government has disclosed that the new office project under construction would gulp about N33.8 billion.
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, disclosed this to journalists during his
inspection of the ongoing projects executed by the Governor Seriake Dickson administration.
Ewhrudjakpo said the office complex, when completed, was expected to be the best not only in the country but in the West Africa sub-region.
He stressed that the project would be equipped with the latest state-of-the-art facility.
“The contract sum for the new governor’s office is N33.8 billion As you saw the work done at the site, so far, you will know that the sum is worth the while,” he said.
Ewhrudjakpo expressed optimism that the governor would celebrate this year’s Christmas in the new office.
He said about 50-60 per cent of the contract sum had been sunk into the project so far and that had brought it to near completion.
The commissioner enumerated some of the challenges in erecting the building to include sand-filling of the site to two feet above the ground before the commencement of
construction work.
“If you ask me how much we have sunk into it, I won’t be able to tell you. But I can say that about 50-60 per cent of the contract sum has so far gone into it and that’s why the work is at the stage it is.
“When we got there, you saw that they were doing the finishings, fixing electrical and plumbing fittings. Inside the executive chambers, you saw that the air conditioners
are already there.
“I can tell you that as soon as we give them (A and K Construction Limited) some additional money, which we have promised to do in the next one or two weeks, the job would have gone very far.
“We are targeting December. We are thinking that his excellency will celebrate the Christmas in his new office all things being equal,” the commissioner said.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, bagged the African Finance Minister of the year award

The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Friday bagged the African Finance Minister of the year award for her outstanding performance as a finance
minister.
The award was presented to her by the African Investor Magazine on the sideline of the ongoing annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
She thanked the organisers for the award and described it as an absolute honour and auspicious.
She called on all investors in Africa to join the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
“What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala said that in spite of the challenges facing the continent, African leaders should sustain the successes recorded in the past.
These challenges, she said, include infrastructure, governance, poor education system, employment, corruption, among others.
“We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take
the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.” Okonjo-Iweala called for continuous
partnership with the private sector, donor agencies and non-governmental organisations. (NAN)