NKRUMAH BANKONG-OBI/Lafia
The governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has commissioned the remodelled Government printing Press in Lafia, the State capital. The facility, which was built in 2001, had fallen to disrepair, and equipment had become obsolete until the present administration decided to revamp the printing press.
Speaking at the event on Thursday, Governor Sule appreciated those who conceived the original project. “We have to show appreciation for establishing one [printing press]. But most of the equipment went obsolete, and attempts in the past to upgrade the equipment failed. So, we thank God Almighty for allowing us to be able to do it. So, today, we have cutting-edge technology, we have new equipment, and we can print most of today’s documents,” he said.
He noted that the press can meet a variety of printing needs: “So, today, we can print our gazettes, we can print our receipts, we can print posters, banners and everything that you can think of, in line with the best technology. So far, so good; that is the direction that we are going. We want to cut cost, we want to have the technology that we will be able to train our technicians in the State so that they can acquire the new knowledge of how to operate a printing press,” he said stressing that the impact on the State will be felt in the improvement of the internally-generated revenue.
The Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Ibrahim Tanko, said the quality of the press places it at par with many others across the country. He said various initiatives have been put in place to ensure that it functions according to the objectives. “There is the need for professionalism, there is training to make sure that whatever we are going to do, is in the business of printing. However, those who are trained will be given adequate training, training and retraining and will continue and continue until we make sure that we meet the standard,” he said. He also announced that the press is open to patronage from customers within and outside the State.
The new edifice has a pre-press, computer-to-plate section, press-off set printing, post-press finishing and binding. It also houses a graphics section, press flex section quality control, direct image, a gazette and white paper section, among others.