By Chimezie Godfrey
Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar has reiterated the commitment of the management of the State House towards maintaining a conducive work environment, declaring that this was imperative for quality service delivery.
The Permanent Secretary spoke Tuesday, in Abuja at an event to mark the reopening of the renovated State House Canteen which had been closed in the wake of the Covid- 19 Pandemic.
Declaring that the reopening of the canteen with its upgraded facilities was in line with Management’s desire to provide staff with conducive work environment that would engender efficiency and productivity, Tijjani Umar noted that enhanced welfare was paramount for staff to give their best in service delivery and commitment to work
“The renovation of the canteen and its reopening today is in line with so many other things that we are doing or have done in the State House and I would like to mention a few of them: Just recently, the Data Centre of the State House was completely renovated. I am sure that whoever knew the level of dilapidation of the Centre will definitely appreciate the facility the way it is looking today.
“We are also moving very fast to renovate the Conference Visitors Unit, now the CCU – Conference Coordination Unit, to a one-stop shop of a modern fleet – hub where we can run the State House Conference Coordination Unit in a modern way, supported by technology.
“When I came in, you will recall that the transportation section was having a lot of challenges and we put it on the table squarely and made a commitment to reorganise it. Today, we have made sufficient progress; we have delineated responsibilities, we have also created an enabling environment where people who work hard are first and foremost, identified and appreciated and then rewarded,” the Permanent Secretary stated.
Towards equipping staff with the requisite training to enhance their productivity, the Permanent Secretary said that within available resources, training programmes have been organised for various departments, stating that over a hundred drivers have benefitted among others.
Tijjani Umar lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for providing exemplary leadership and the enabling environment for State House management and staff to discharge their responsibilities seamlessly.
The Director of Maintenance, Joshua Apagu, recalled that on assumption of office, the Permanent Secretary had directed that effort must be made to give the canteen an enhanced and user- friendly ambiance.
The renovation and upgrade of the canteen, the Director said, was a milestone towards bringing up to speed facilities in the State House and assured that the facilities would be optimally maintained.
Chairman, Trade Union Joint Council, State House, Pst Oladunjoye Olasupo, commended the Permanent Secretary for being committed towards enhancing staff welfare and for having a clear idea of how to realize his visions. He assured the Permanent Secretary of staff loyalty and dedication to duty.
The Permanent Secretary invited the State House Press Corps who were also at the event, to liaise with the Director of Administration, with a view to enjoying the subsidy offered by Management to staff in the canteen.
