Date: 2019-07-10

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has approved the immediate release of N350 million for the completion of the new Secretariat Complex in Ilorin.

Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Rafiu Ajakaye said this in a statement on Wednesday in Ilorin.

Ajakaye said the governor approved the payment of the money after securing a discount of N50 million from the contractors, who were owed N515 million out of the total contract sum of N1.38 billion.

"Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq felt a need to urgently complete the project for the use of civil servants even as he pushed for heavy discount from the contractors.

"As a result, the Governor has approved the release of N350 million with which the contractors will finish the work.

"They will receive N81 million after the work is satisfactorily done. That would leave them with the (third payment) retention fee of N34 million after six months," Ajakaye added.

He said the governor was concerned that some of the state's civil servants were still in rented office accommodation, 52 years after Kwara was created.

The new secretariat complex is made up of four blocks with each of the blocks having 76 office spaces.

(NAN)