Minister of Cities, Local Government, and Public Works Adam Shareef Umar has announced that the selection of islands for constructing new local island council office buildings has been made impartially, without regard to political ideology, and it is a great satisfaction that the councils have accepted this.
The government has initiated a project to construct new council office buildings, to address the issues of outdated and space-constrained council buildings. This year, the Ministry of Cities has confirmed that new council buildings will be built in 50 islands.
Speaking to an exclusive interview with PSM News, Minister Adam Shareef emphasised the fairness in determining the locations for these new council offices. He said that public opinion was considered when setting the criteria for island selection. He also highlighted that a thorough assessment of the current state of the councils was conducted.
Additionally, Minister Adam Shareef assured that the process was completely apolitical, with no political biases influencing the decisions. He expressed satisfaction that the government has maintained impartiality in this matter and reiterated his commitment to providing services without favoritism towards any political party.
Furthermore, Minister Adam Shareef noted that the project is being implemented with support from the Chinese government. He said that all 50 council offices are set to commence construction this year simultaneously, and the buildings will be equipped with necessary facilities to address the space issues of the councils.
The selected islands are in addition to the 55 islands already budgeted for council buildings in the 2023 and 2024 Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). In total, 102 islands have been identified for new council office construction, with the government aiming to complete these projects within the current term.