The workers said the unhygienic state of the offices with the complex especially after officials failed to fumigate the place, has the potential of causing an outbreak of diseases, which could endanger the health of many of them.
Civil Servants in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have raised concerns over the terrible conditions of toilets and the general office environment with the Federal Secretariat Complex.
The workers said the unhygienic state of the offices with the complex especially after officials failed to fumigate the place, has the potential of causing an outbreak of diseases, which could endanger the health of many of them.
The over one month lockdown put in place by government as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 in the country has further exposed the decay in the secretariat complex.
The Federal Government had earlier directed that civil servants from Level 14 and above should report for work beginning from last Monday.
The workers, who expressed serious concerns over the offensive odour emanating from the toilets within the complex, called on authorities to intervene urgently.
Some of the workers, who spoke with Saharareporters, described the situation as worrisome and pathetic.
A staff, who painted the lurid picture of the stench emanating from the conveniences, told SaharaReporters that their health was in danger.
He said, "The bad odour in some of the offices and corridors is too much. You cannot even stay inside your office for one hour. I expected government to have fumigated all these offices before asking us to resume work.
"Our lives are in danger and we are vulnerable to COVID-19 and other outbreak of diseases.”
A staff of Ministry of Science and Technology said he lacked words to describe how terrible the toilets in the complex had become, adding that there was urgent need to address the issue to prevent an epidemic.
He said “The situation is terrible and most of us that have been asked to come to work are sitting on a keg of gun powder. Maggots have taken over some of the toilet facilities in the complex.”
Though the FCT Administration recently fumigated some of public offices and markets in the city to make it safer for people to move around, many places including the Federal Secretariat in the country’s capital are yet to be fumigated or properly cleaned up as at Wednesday, SaharaReporters discovered.
A public health physician, Oludare Ajakaye, who spoke with our correspondent on the health hazard of dirty toilets, explained that it could cause deadly infections of all kinds.
According to him, women were more vulnerable and at the risk of contracting bacteria and viral infections.
Efforts to get reactions from the office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation were unsuccessful as at the time of this report.