Despite a budget of 37billion voted for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex, the project remains a mirage as the building has remained in a deteriorating condition raising concerns among lawmakers and Nigerians.
There has been disquiet among federal lawmakers over the infrastructural decay and fast deterioration of the National Assembly Complex which houses both the Senate and the House of Representatives despite billions of naira voting for its renovation.
Earlier this year, pictures and videos emerged of workers in the National Assembly scooping water with buckets and dustpan shortly after the rains as the roof of the National Assembly began to leak. It was the main lobby of the legislative complex – between both chambers – that had water dripping from the roof to other parts of the building.
There are worries that the need to have the complex renovated to provide a conducive environment for legislative business for the lawmakers may continue to remain a mirage.
Reacting to the incident, Director of Programmes, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Philip Jakpor, said, “It is shameful that despite whopping billions of Naira allocated to rehabilitation of the National Assembly complex yearly the flooding incident could happen. It is not a tornado or hurricane that hit the complex. It is just a few minutes of heavy rain and sees how it exposed them.
“What it reflects is either our lawmakers are inflating figures and diverting the monies or they are deliberately soliciting the services of quack contractors who procure substandard materials. Someone or some people are not doing their job or look the other way.
“Whichever way, they are not justifying taxpayers money. It is our money. Unfortunately, we operate in a system where no one is held accountable. They owe us an explanation.
“Yes it is time to carry out an audit of the sums they have been getting for rehabilitation of the complex and what they have used them for.
“We must also look into the processes of selecting contractors and the procurement processes. We should not settle for lame excuses.”
Similarly, in its editorial, Leadership said, the video of the leaking roof despite huge budgetary allocations to the legislature every year is a sad commentary on the nation”s maintenance culture and the image of the country as a whole.”
“This development has placed a big question mark on whether the legislative arm of government or whichever agency responsible for the maintenance of the complex is alive to its responsibility. That complex is one of the landmark structures in the capital city of Abuja and a symbol of the nation’s democracy”
Funds Not Released – Senate
However, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Ajibola Basiru denied reports that N37 billion had been released to the leadership of the National Assembly for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex.
In a statement, Basiru noted that the National Assembly was not responsible for maintaining the National Assembly building and had not received any funding for its renovation.
“While it is true that an initial appropriation of the above stated sum was made due to the decaying nature of the complex which has not witnessed any major maintenance or overhauling since construction, the said amount was reduced to N9 billion after the breakout of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Even with this reduction, the sum of N9 billion or any amount is yet to be cash-backed or released to the National Assembly. None of this amount is even appropriated for the National Assembly bureaucracy or its leadership,” he said.
Law Makers Complain
Recently, Lawmakers on various occasions have voiced concerns over the deteriorating condition of the national edifice which, they say, now poses a threat to their lives and making legislative business difficult for them.
This played out again at the plenary of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, October 12, when a lawmaker cried out that they were suffocating due to dysfunctional air conditioning systems at the Green Chamber.
A lawmaker, Haruna Dederi (APC, Kano) had through a point of order raised alarm over the inclement condition of the chamber, asking the Speaker to ensure something was done to make the place conducive for legislative business.
Contributing, Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Toby Okechukwu told the Speaker that besides the issue of inclement weather and dysfunctional air conditioning systems, the House is also challenged infrastructurally.
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Responding to the Point of Order raised by Dederi, Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, said it was a good point, saying, he had just conferred with his deputy on the same matter.
FCDA mum
Efforts to get the reaction of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) proved abortive as the agency’s spokesman, Richard Ndoo, did respond to calls and messages sent to him on the matter.
