37 billion Naira: We Aren’t Responsible For N/Assembly Maintenance – Senate reveals whos is responsible

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday said that the National Assembly is not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the complex.

All Facts News had reported that activities at the Senate hallowed Chamber were on Tuesday morning disrupted following the heavy leaking of the roof.

Following the leaking of the roof, Senators who were already at the chamber were forced to come outside, discussing in groups.

National Assembly staff have in the last couple of minutes packing the water with buckets and Packers, just as the entire environment, fora is covered with water, Vanguard reports.

Some Senators who came later while the place was filled with water, had to go through the House of Representatives.

Reacting to the incident in a statement on Wednesday, Senate spokesman, Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, said that no money has been released for renovation purposes.

Ajibola added that a sum of 37 billion Naira was released to renovate the decaying nature of the National Assembly Complex.

He, however, noted that the leadership of the National Assembly has called for an urgent intervention in revamping the dilapidated structures within the complex.

The statement read; “Contrary to the widespread falsehood being peddled both in the mainstream and online media as a fall out of the reported incident of the leaking roof of the National Assembly Complex after a heavy downpour on Tuesday, 21 June 2021, 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 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.”