toilet maintenance in 4 yrs
…..9th floor complex has only one functioning toilet
….Male, female staffers contend with one toilet facility
….Staff now defecates in the bushy areas adjacent Secretariat complex.
….HOS, Dr Yemi- Esan, expresses displeasure over facilities
Despite the huge allocation of over N1bn for water and toilet maintenance in four years, the Federal Secretariat complex in the nation’s capital is still a rotten stench of itself.
Between the 2016 and 2019 fiscal year alone as stated by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, a total of N679m was earmarked for water and maintenance services for its own building.
The Nigerian Pilot Weekend, in a visit to the Phase One axis of the complex, observed the poor sanitary condition of the government facility that houses offices of key Federal Ministries, including the Ministries of Niger Delta Affairs, Labour and Employment, Aviation, and Police Service Commission, PSC.
An official in the complex told this paper that the 9th floor of the complex which houses one influential ministry has only one functioning toilet.
“They said they did renovation, but only the male toilet is good. So now both males and females use one toilet. The women are finding it difficult.
“You can see the toilet yourself. It has been locked for long. Even in the 7th floor, it is far worse,” he said.
Another staff who works in the office of the HOS and spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Nigerian Pilot Weekend, that the toilets were fixed during the nationwide lockdown period. He said the only challenge now was unavailability of water in the premises.
There is no water. Even the cleaners take the pain of going to fetch water by themselves to clean the toilets,” he added.
Speaking on the bad state of toilets in the Phase One Complex of the Secretariat, the official said: “The toilets are bad. It used to be very clean in the past when Julius Berger was contracted to do the cleaning and maintenance. But now that the maintenance has been left to civil servants, the conditions are worse.
A staff in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, who spoke on condition of anonymity, admitted that there was a bushy area adjacent the secretariat complex where many civil servants go to defecate.
While pointing the said area to our correspondent, the middle-aged man called on the government to look into a permanent solution for the water crisis in the premises.
During an inspection tour in May, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, had expressed displeasure over the poor and deplorable state of the toilet facilities across the secretariat.
While also acknowledging the nagging issue of water scarcity, she said the conditions of the toilets fell short of her expectations.
She however assured that her office was working with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning to do the needful.
Source: Nigerian Pilot
