The Kwara State government has set aside N800million for the construction of a new secretariat complex.

The state head of service, Alhaji Dabarako Muhammed disclosed this to newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital.

This amount, he said, is outside the cost of furnishing and other expenses that are captured in the project.

Dabarako, who said that the idea of constructing the new edifice had been muted since 2009, added that it stemmed from the government’s resolve to provide a befitting environment for the workers in the state to positively impact on governance.

He said the project, which would come in four blocks of N200million each, is expected to be completed in nine months from the day the contract was awarded and would accommodate about 6, 000 core civil servants.

He also said the initial plan to have the edifice at a plot opposite the Metropolitan Square had to be shelved because of a court injunction.

“We are anticipating about four blocks and each block is supposed to cost N200million which should be able to accommodate more than one ministry”.

While reiterating that funding for the project will not be a problem because of the targeted N850milion from the sale of government quarters, Dabarako noted that the government will be approached for other aspects of the project after the completion of the building project.

“Already, we are set to go on advert so as to invite tenders because we need to follow due process which will take about two to three weeks. I believe that within a month or two, we should be able to complete that and start the process of building,” he said.