Today, if you are passing by the King’s Square, Benin City, and you cast a fleeting glance at the secretariat complex of Oredo Local Government Council, you surely would not readily know that a whole lot of renovation work was going on inside the three massive structures, from where policies are formulated to ensure the good governance of the people and residents of the locality.
But, if you could spare more than a perfunctory glance and take a deliberate walk round the complex, you would discover to your excitement that every inch of the edifice is receiving genuine renovation attention. It should be noted that the council secretariat complex has, over the years, suffered terrible and wanton decay in terms of structure, facilities and, most especially in its egoistic image, which had plummeted in the eyes of the public. The sad translation of this heart-aching development has been the simultaneous crash it caused the morale-rating of the workers. It, therefore, would not be out of place if one said that the morale-rating of the workers had crashed to a very low and embarrassing ebb, shortly before the present Nosa-Ehima administration came on board in December, 2007.
Not many people knew that the main building, now housing the civil servants, was built by the colonial masters several decades ago; and that since then there had never been any renovation of any kind. Apart from its defaced physical outlook, the electrical system and even the visible fittings have become quite ludicrously exposed, naked and life-threatening, if not all together death traps.
The all-important plumbing and toilet systems, that have survived several decades of accelerated usage and disuse, have been begging for attention. It was, therefore, no surprise that council staff, in quest of where to use as conveniences, had no better, immediate option, but to turn to the fences and disused sections of the secretariat compound for rescue. At a time, only the few offices of the seven top-most council management staff had semblances of modern, functional conveniences, while others had to manage in whatever way they could.
It is on record that the Oredo Council Secretariat complex, the Civil Servants’ block that is, has gone up in flames up to three times or more since the building has been in use. On each of these occasions, only very feeble attempts were made by the governments of the day to embark on genuine, large-scale renovation and rehabilitation. What this scenario has left in the building is the relic of those terrible infernos of the past: burnt bricks, damaged ceilings, heaps of broken down windows and the charred remains of burnt furniture. In fact, at a time, the last two floors of the secretariat complex were more or less under-utilized because of their level of dilapidation and visible neglect.
When Hon. (Dr.) Mike Nosa-Ehima came in December 2007, it was with the understanding and mindset that workers, or anyone for that matter, could not give their best in an environment that is not only un-conducive, but equally not complementary to the pursuit of excellent and effective administration. The Council boss strongly holds the belief that for management and staff of the council to be on their toes in readiness for the massive challenges ahead, a decent, work-friendly environment could not be compromised. His dream is to make the council secretariat truly appealing in every sense of the word to the workers, because such a decent work environment would give birth to, and aid workers in the development of positive thoughts and ideas, that are very crucial in policy formulation and implementation.
So, since he came on board, this second time around, having meritoriously served the people of the locality as chairman from 1999 to 2002, a period within which he showed in very concrete terms his administrative astuteness, competence and zealousness to enhancing public service delivery, Hon. Nosa-Ehima has, with his trade mark Midas Touch, firmly handled the figurative surgical knife, and is dissecting the Council Secretariat Complex to the delight of the management and staff of the premier council in the state.
Hon. Nosa-Ehima has never hidden his desire to see an Oredo locality that can boast of enchanting advancement in physical as well as in human development. He strongly believes that Oredo deserves the very best, insisting that whatever project has to be executed in the locality should and must be of very high standard, that can compete with similar projects in any part of the country. This is the driving force that is beginning to manifest in the renovation of the secretariat complex already being hailed by council workers, and even visitors to the complex, as long overdue.
Who could have believed that as huge as the Chairman’s block of council secretariat edifice, which equally provides office accommodation for the Vice-Chairman, Legislative Arm Leader and the honourable councilors, the Council’s Secretary and a unit of the Council’s Health staff as well as the security operatives, has only one entrance! Just one entrance to go in and to come out! Incredible you would say. But that has been the case since that block was built almost fifteen years ago. Modern buildings of international standards have multiple entrances and several fire escape routes to take care of any stampede during cases of emergency evacuation, if not for anything else.
If we say that the chairman’s block, a two-floor edifice, is bad enough to have one entrance, pray , what do we say of the civil servants’ two blocks of three floors each having one stair-case entrance? What could happen in emergency cases, with that arrangement in place, is better imagined.
Interpreting this inadequate structural arrangement correctly, Hon. Nosa-Ehima ordered the contractors handling the renovation to create additional entrance routes not only to ease the human traffic on the staircases, but also to create alternative escape routes in emergency cases.
There is no doubt that when this renovation work is completed, assuredly, according to specification, Oredo Council Secretariat Complex would stand out as the very best structure adorning the King’s Square vicinity, and one of the best work environment structures in the entire country. And Hon. Nosa-Ehima, one council chairman who has two enchanting firsts already in his kitty, would have scored yet another first in infrastructural development. If the firsts must be repeated here, Hon. Nosa-Ehima is the first council chairman to have provided employment opportunities for over 5,000 youths in a single tenure of three years (1999 – 2002); and he is also the very first in the history of the local government council to have emerged Chairman of the council on two separate occasions.
To perfectly make a match that would bring out the best of council efforts in the lives of the people in the locality, Hon. Nosa-Ehima has complemented the renovation of the secretariat buildings with the renovation of the welfare packages of workers. He does not joke with the salaries, allowances, claims and the training and re-training of workers. All of these are done as and when due. He has practically co-opted the workers’ union, NULGE, into his think-tank team, and this has given fillip to the industrial harmony that the council is now savouring. Also, this has given a very bright array of indications that the Nosa-Ehima administration will, in the days and months ahead, give residents and the good people of Oredo Local Government Area more enchanting reasons to celebrate.
*Mr. O’Ray Osawe is the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Oredo Council Chairman.
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