Following report of flooding and leakages of the National Assembly Complex, the Nigerian Senate has said the building has not undergone any major renovation since 1999.
In a statement on Wednesday issued by the Senate spokesman, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru noted that the Assembly and its leadership was not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the complex.
He further stated that the National Assembly or its leadership has not received the sum of N37 billion or any amount for the renovation of the complex.
The News Carrier NG reported how the White House wing of the National Assembly, which majorly accommodates administrative offices of the Parliament, was flooded on Tuesday as water uncontrollably dropped down from its leaking roof.
But the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Basiru, said contrary to the “widespread falsehood” being peddled both in the mainstream and online media as a fallout of the reported incident of the leaking roof of the National Assembly Complex after a heavy downpour.
“It is pertinent to inform the general public that the National Assembly and its leadership is not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the National Assembly Complex and they have not received a sum of 37 billion naira or any amount for the renovation of the complex.
“While it is true that an initial appropriation of the above stated sum was made due to the decaying nature of the National Assembly Complex which has not witnessed any major maintenance or overhauling since construction, the said amount was reduced to 9 billion naira after the breakout of COVID-19 pandemic.
“Even with this reduction, the sum of 9 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.
“It must be reiterated that the National Assembly Complex is a National Monument which falls under the purview of control of the Federal Capital Development Agency. In essence, the FCDA is responsible for its maintenance as well as renovation and not the Leadership of the National Assembly as being falsely bandied about.
“The leakage witnessed at the foyer of the National Assembly yesterday (Tuesday) justifies the apprehension of the leadership of the National Assembly and the FCDA and further underscores the need for an urgent intervention in revamping the dilapidated structures within the complex before it falls into further dilapidation with the attendant huge cost of possible replacement,” Basiru stated.
