By Kasim Sumaina
A property firm, Cosgrove Investment Limited, in its exercise of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has refurbished and delivered a 188-seater conference hall to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
The revamped hall was handed over to the management of the FCDA in Abuja alongside some newly constructed executive conveniences, which were also voluntarily constructed by Cosgrove, Nigeria’s leading smart estates developer.
The conference hall consists of 188 seats of which 174 are for the audience, while 14 are designed for guests at the high table.
The Acting Executive Secretary, FCDA, Hajiya Zaliha’u Ahmed, who presented a letter of appreciation and a plaque of honour to Cosgrove Investment Limited for refurbishing the FCDA Conference Hall, as well as constructing two VIP conveniences at no cost to FCDA, described the projects as “very important” and “uneasy”.
Speaking on behalf of the FCDA management, Ahmed said: “I sincerely thank the chairman and management of Cosgrove Investment Limited for the kind gesture to undertake this uneasy project.”
She noted that FCDA will put the newly refurbished hall to judicious use, while ensuring that the improvements will be sustained.
She commended the former Executive Secretary of the Authority, Mr. U. G. Jibrin, for keeping a good relationship with Cosgrove of which FCDA is now a corporate beneficiary.
Similarly, the Director, Public Buildings, FCDA, Mr. Adebowale Ademo, who noted that Cosgrove was not a client at the FCDA, yet voluntarily embarked on the selfless project, recalled the circumstances that inspired Cosgrove to voluntarily embark on the project.
According to him, “I was at a meeting with the former Executive Secretary of the FCDA, and I was discussing the challenges associated with the conference hall, and we were surprised when the Chairman of Cosgrove, Mr Umar Abdullahi, offered to refurbish the hall as a gesture of corporate social responsibility,” adding that the benevolence, which was although surprising, came with joy and relief.
“Thereafter, I invited Mr Umar Abdullahi to my office, and we started the discussion. He came with his team and we looked at what needed to be done and he agreed to do them and he fixed all of them including the building of two new executive conveniences,” he said.
Responding, the Chairman, Cosgrove Investment Limited, Abdullahi, thanked the FCDA management for appreciating a project voluntarily embarked upon by the firm in exercise of its CSR policy – a major policy thrust of the organisation.
He said: “As a team, Cosgrove is happy to successfully complete the refurbishment of the 188-seater FCDA Conference Hall, while providing executive conveniences for high table guests.”
Discussing the motivation for the organisation’s various CSR projects, Abdullahi noted that: “Cosgrove is indigenous to Nigeria and we are committed to promoting our national pride including sustaining and maintaining national infrastructure such as the FCDA, where possible.
“It is an honour for Cosgrove to provide the needs and we are happy that the FCDA appreciates it.”
