The National Directorate of Employment, NDE, has appealed to National Assembly to support the early completion of its permanent office through adequate appropriation in the 2023 budget.
He said the office located in Gudu district of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, under construction required adequate funding for its completion.
The appeal was made by the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, while receiving the Chairman, House Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Hon. Mohammad Ali Wudil, and his vice, Hon. Shehu Barwa Beji, recently when they paid a visit to the building site.
According to the Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, of the NDE, Mr. Israel Adekitan, in a statement, the Director-General observed that the funds made available for the project in the 2022 appropriation was a far cry from what was needed to do a significant work.
It was against that background, it was said, that he pleaded with the House Committee to assist the directorate in speeding up the completion of the building.
Fikpo expressed optimism that the visitation of the House members would impact positively in the quick completion of the project.
“The House Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, especially the chairman and the principal officers, have been passionate about the NDE, we have received a lot of support and advice regarding how to access funds to deliver on our mandate. Now that they are here on our invitation to assess the progress of work, it is our hope and belief that the support we have received so far will continue, more funds will be released to complete the building, by that, much money will be saved in terms of rent payment on the hired building we presently occupy as headquarters,” he said.
The chairman of the House committee, Wudil, expressed satisfaction over the progress made so far in the construction, describing the building as gigantic.
He said, “I know that the funding of the project is small and slow. With this inspection we can see that with little money allocated, partitions are made, piping is done and work is in progress.”
He added that “with this inspection, the House committee will make the National Assembly to understand the need to improve on the funding of this project.”
The legislator called on the supervising Minister of Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, who is also the chairman of the NDE board, to allocate enough resources to the project in the 2023 appropriation of the ministry.
“It is better if it comes from the ministry that funds for this project be increased, but we will by the grace of God enhance allocation to ensure the steady progress of work.”
The building which was originally a hotel was given to the NDE at carcass stage to be used as official headquarters in 2020.
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The building is being redesigned to suit the purpose of NDE as offices with intelligent system of accommodation.
Skaldon International Limited, the main contractor of the project, had expressed its fear that the building might not be completed at the stipulated time due to poor funding.
NDE was established in November 1986 to checkmate unemployment in Nigeria.
It went into full operation of employment generation and job creation in January 1987.
As big as its mandate is, NDE started-off without a building of its own as headquarters.
As a result of the inability to secure permanent building as headquarters over the years, its operations were bedevilled by huge debt arising from office accommodations both from the states where it operates at the grassroots and the headquarters where policies are formulated.
