CHAIRMAN of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs Ajibola Basiru has 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 released on Wednesday, 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.
Basiru stressed that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) was responsible for the maintenance of the building, adding that the leakages recorded during a rainfall on Tuesday justified the need for urgent renovation of the dilapidated structures in the complex.
The National Assembly Complex was flooded following a heavy downpour on Tuesday.
The sum of N9 billion naira had been approved for the renovation of the complex, which was built in 1999.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.