By ISMAILA CHAFE

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the re-designation of the State House Clinic back to Medical Centre.

The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, made this known after a pre-commissioning inspection of the new Presidential (VIP) Wing of the State House Medical Centre by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha.

Mustapha was accompanied by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed and Minister of State Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba.

Umar said: ”In March 2019, the President had given approval that the State House Medical Centre, Asokoro, which was facing challenges with funding, deterioration of infrastructure and equipment, be scaled down to a Clinic until the challenges were addressed.

“Now with improvement in the problem areas and the addition of the new VIP Wing with state-of-the-art facilities, we can no longer operate as a Clinic. It is now to operate as State House Medical Centre.”

According to him, all is set for the inauguration of the new world class facility by the President to add to the growing number of completed and commissioned legacy projects of this Administration.

Umar added that the calibration, testing of equipment and training of medical personnel are ongoing, and the presidency is determined to ensure that the Centre remains fully operational and well maintained after inauguration.

Addressing State House correspondents, Mustapha described the newly built VIP wing as “money well spent.”

He further expressed his excitement and fulfilment that the project was completed within a year as envisaged and will be commissioned after equipping under a year and a half.

The minister of Finance also expressed delight that the project was delivered “dead-on-time”, and “on budget”, recounting that funding for the edifice was provided on time in the 2022 appropriation.

“The facility here is world class and we are looking forward to the inauguration very soon”.

“I have volunteered myself as one of the people that will come for medical here on test run to testify that what we have here is comparable to the best around the world,” she jocularly said.

The ground-breaking ceremony at the VIP wing was performed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, on Nov. 1, 2021 and work began by Julius Berger Nigeria, the construction company that built the Presidential Villa.

The VIP Wing, which is a specialised/Intensive Care Centre dedicated for the exclusive use of the President, Vice President and other VIPs, spans over a total of 2,485m2 floor area on a suspended floor with a basement. (NAN)

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