Nigeria Content Online

President Goodluck
Jonathan has directed all federal government parastatals and ministries
to initiate plans to be in their own buildings in the next four years,
saying it is a burden and an embarassment for (Ministry Departments
& Agencies)MDA’s to be housed in private buildings on which they
pay rent.

Speaking at the
commissioning of the office complex of the military pension board in
Abuja at the weekend, Mr. Jonathan urged other government agencies to
toe the line of the board. He said such a move would correct the
current trend of MDA’s being housed in places that are not in
conformity with their operations.

“We now want all
parastatals and ministries to live in their own buildings, I believe in
the next four years all government parastatals should plan their own
building and leave the private buildings,” he said.He directed the
minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed to allocate
more lands to the Military Pension Board to develop a housing scheme
for its staff.The president also asked the Minister of State for the
FCT, Kayode Olubolade to meet with the FCT minister to include the road
projects to link the Military Pension Board and Cadastral lanes in the
FCT, in its 2011 budget.The military pensions board was relocated from
Lagos to Abuja in 2005.

Due to the hurried
relocation,the Ministry of Defence (MOD) rented a temporary
accommodation which was grossly inadequate as it was originally
designed as a residential accommodation.The new complex took 18 months
to get to completion.

Cutting edge

The complex, which
has a robust computer section, archive and residence for officers and
the inclusion of biometrics in the database is designed in such a way
that the pensioners will be attended to by at least one computer and
operator for each state.

Mr. Jonathan
commended the biometric payment system adopted by the board and urged
MDA’s to apply it in salaries and wages in other to save cost and
increase employment.

“I will urge all
government agencies to key in to this bio-metrix payment system, it
will save a lot of money and government will be able to employ more
people,” he said. He said such development could also ease out
corruption in the system.

He also noted that
the era of unpaid retirees roaming around the streets of the nation’s
capital is over, adding that it is now time for dependents of retirees
and fallen heroes to enjoy the labour of their heroes past.

The Minister of
Defence, Adetokunbo Kayode commended Mr. Jonathan in his swift clearing
of seven years arrears of military pensioners in the country. Mr Kayode
said the move showed the President’s commitment to welfare of the
retirees and men of the armed forces.