President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the renaming of the State House Clinic back to the Health Centre.
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar announced this after the pre-commissioning inspection of the Presidential (VIP) Wing of the new State House Medical Center by the 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 the Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba.
Umar said: “In March 2019, the President had given approval that the State House Health Centre, Asokoro, which was facing challenges in terms of funding, infrastructure and equipment breakdowns, was downgraded to a Clinic until the challenges were addressed.
“Now with the improvement in the problem areas and the addition of a new VIP Wing with state-of-the-art facilities, we can no longer be a Clinic. We can now function as the State House Medical Center.
According to him, everything is set for the inauguration of new world-class facilities by the President to complement the many legacy projects that have been completed and commissioned from this Administration.
Umar added that calibration, testing of equipment and training of medical personnel are still ongoing, and the presidency is determined to ensure that the Center remains operational and well maintained after the inauguration.
Speaking to State House correspondents, Mustapha described the newly constructed VIP wing as “money well spent.”
He was more than happy and satisfied that the project was completed within a year as planned and will be done after completing it in less than half a year.
The Minister of Finance also expressed his joy that the project was delivered “dead on time”, and “on budget”, stating that the funding for the building was provided precisely in the 2022 allocation.
“The facilities here are world class and we look forward to the inauguration soon”.
“I have volunteered as one of the people who will come here for the medical during the trial to testify that what we have here is comparable to the best in the world,” he said jokingly.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the VIP wing was conducted by the President’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, on November 1, 2021, and work began with Julius Berger Nigeria, the construction company that built the Presidential Villa.
The VIP Wing, which is a dedicated Intensive Care Center for the exclusive use of the President, Vice President and other VIPs, has a total area of 2,485m2 on a suspended floor with a basement.