Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun has embarked on an on-the-spot assessment of the construction of the new headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) located in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.
The $31.6 million building fully funded by the Chinese government in line with its desire to promote bilateral ties with West Africa is being handled by Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Company Limited (SCEGC).
In his progress report, the team lead of SCEGC, Yan Yongjun said all preparatory work to kick start the project has been perfected with the only hindrance being the issuance of a construction permit from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the provision of adequate security.
Hos wors, “The temporary site facility already completed by the company includes an office area, living area, processing sheds, concrete batching plant, warehouse, fence and gates among others.
“All our personnel including the team leader, Chief Engineer, Quality Assurance Managers, SSHE Manager, Site Manager, Civil Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Surveyors etc have been fully mobilized to the site. Building materials including 1200 tons of rebar, 3000 sheets of plywood framework, electrical conduit, water supply and drainage pipes, and waterproof sheets, are all on the ground.
“The construction work will begin fully when we obtain a building permit from the FCTA authorities. We, therefore, urge ECOWAS to facilitate the quick acquisition of relevant permits and also help provide adequate security to guarantee the security of personnel and properties on site.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Cui Jianchun said the Chinese government decided to sponsor the project because of its desire to strengthen cooperation with Nigeria and West Africa. He appealed to ECOWAS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant stakeholders to help facilitate the acquisition of construction permits and the provision of adequate security to enable the construction company begin work on the site.
In his response, Ambassador Musa Nuhu, permanent representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS, assured the Chinese delegation that all hands are on deck to secure building permits within the shortest possible time. He also assured the provision of additional security personnel to ensure a seamless construction process.
His words, “We are currently on the verge of receiving building approval. Development control, the body under the FCTA responsible for giving approval gave us a bill of N212 million as an approval fee. The Minister of Foreign Affairs wrote to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory seeking a waiver. After a series of deliberations, the minister granted the waiver and I can assure you that development control is on the verge of granting the permit for work to commence. Also, arrangements have been concluded to have security re-enforcements in the coming days.”
Also speaking, the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Damtien Tchintchibidja thanked the Chinese government for funding the project adding that the gesture highlights the excellent cooperation between China and West Africa.
With a completion period of 24 months, the new ECOWAS secretariate is expected to have state-of-the-art office buildings, conference rooms, solar power systems, and road facilities thus enhancing the operational capacity of the regional body made up of 15 member countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to perform the grand-breaking ceremony of the project in the coming weeks.
The decision to finance the project demonstrates China’s economic and diplomatic investment in Africa. The Asian country is credited for building the African Union (A.U) headquarters in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.
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