In the 2024 Appropriation Bill, lawmakers authorized an additional N30 billion for the refurbishment of the National Assembly Complex.
The N30 billion intended for building renovations was part of the N344.85 billion budgeted for the National Assembly, which increased their funding from N197.93 billion.
The N344.85 billion granted to the legislature by President Bola Tinubu on January 1 is the biggest amount ever.
The extra N30 billion takes the total amount spent on the refurbishment of the National Assembly compound to N60 billion.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who is also the President of the National Assembly, said on June 30, 2023, that Tinubu will launch the N30 billion various ongoing projects in the National Assembly in December of last year.
Akpabio said, “The entire complex of the National Assembly is like a construction site due to ongoing general renovation work and fresh projects which would, on completion, be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in December this year (2023).”
The renovation was initially billed to be completed and delivered in August 2022 but the delivery date was later moved to January 2023 and then December 2023.
As of January 2024, the renovation of the National Assembly Complex is yet to be completed with skeletal work ongoing on the premises.
Earlier during an oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, the site engineer, Tajudeen Olanipekun, blamed “fluctuations in the value of naira to the United States dollar for the delay.”
“This has hampered the importation of required materials and equipment, in addition to the need for more funds from the FCDA,” he said.
However, the Head, Public Relations, Federal Capital Development Agency, Richard Nduul, in June disclosed that N19bn had been paid to the construction company.
He said, “I would like to refer you to a recent press briefing by the Executive Secretary, Engr. Shehu Hadi Ahmad, just about three weeks ago, where disclosed that so far about N19bn has been expended out of the sum of N30bn being the cost of the contract awarded in 2021 to Messrs Visible Construction Nigeria Limited with a completion date of August 2023.
“This project when completed, will bring the Complex to the status of a world-class parliamentary building that will ensure both the comfort, convenience and functionality of the complex,” Nduul added.
