Politics
NASS Defends N37 Billion For Renovation
The National Assembly has replied the Socio-Economic Right And Accountability Project, SERAP, over the budgeted N37 Billion for Renovation of National Assembly Complex.
The Senate noted that SERAP got it wrong by contemplating dragging the Leadership of the National Assembly to Court following the N37 billion appropriated for the renovation of the Complex, saying that the National Assembly has nothing to do with the renovation.
Speaking on the development, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, All Progressives Congress, APC, Nasarawa North explained that the building belongs to the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority, FCDA and the work that was being carried is also carried out by the FCDA and not the National Assembly.
Senator Akwashiki who described the outcry and action of SERAP as unnecessary, however asked if there was anything wrong with the renovation of the National Assembly Complex.
It could be recalled that SERAP had dragged the President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA to Court over the N37 billion earmarked for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.
SERAP is asking the court to retrain until the Federal Government from collecting the money until an impact assessment of the spending on critical sectors and access to public goods and services, is carried out.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1633/2019 filed last week at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the plaintiffs argued that “The National Assembly complex should be a safe and conducive environment for those who work there.
But spending ₦37 billion to renovate the place is not commensurate with the constitutional commitments to public services and goods; decreasing public revenues and increasing level of debts as well as the poor economic and social realities in the country.”
The plaintiffs also argued that “Spending N37 billion to renovate the National Assembly complex is self-serving, wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, as it means less money for educating millions of out-of-school Nigerian children, providing access to clean water and healthcare to Nigerians including the elderly, or repairing the country’s roads and bridges.”
Speaking on the issue yesterday, Senate Spokesperson, Senator Akwashiki asked: “What’s the outcry for? That they should not renovate the National Assembly or what?”
He said, ”I have said this before that this issue has nothing to do with the National Assembly. It is the all about the Federal Capital Development Authority.
The building belongs to the FCDA, which built it. The FCDA management knows how much it needed to fix the complex which is in a dilapidated condition.
“I read it online that SERAP and some groups are threatening to take the National Assembly to court over the N37bn earmarked for the renovation of the complex. I don’t know why they should take us to court because the National Assembly complex belongs to the FCDA and its management is in charge of its renovation.
“The only responsibility of the leadership of the National Assembly is to inform the President about the condition of the building which could collapse anytime if not immediately renovated.
“The President will then asked the owners of the complex to send their technical officers, the architects, structural engineers to investigate the conditions of the building.”
Senator Akwashiki who noted that the National Assembly does not know who the FCDA arrived at the amount, said, “How the team from the FCDA arrived at a cost of N37bn is not the business of the National Assembly. It is purely the issue of the FCDA. It is the FCDA that will award the contracts.
”A single naira from the N37bn will not come to the National Assembly accounts, everything is going straight to the FCDA. In the past 20 years, the structure has not been renovated.
I don’t know why we are being dragged to court. Is it an offense to draw the attention of the owners of the complex to the fact that their building needed emergency attention to avoid disaster?
” If they say that we should not renovate it, so be it. Our prayers are that the day the structure will collapse, it should not claim the life of anybody.
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Anybody who wants reaction to why the Federal Government budgeted N37bn for the renovation should direct all inquiries to the FCDA. It is the FCDA that would award all the contracts and also carry out necessary supervision.
“Based on the outcry that the issue has generated, it is possible for the National Assembly to suggest that the renovation be done in phases over a period of time.
If Nigerians who voted us to office prefer that we spread the amount into subsequent budgets, it could be done. The leadership of the National Assembly and the management of the FCDA could consider such a possibility and execute the project in phases.
We could start from the two chambers which are terribly dilapidated at the moment.
“If SERAP and others take the National Assembly to court, what will they be telling the judge? We have no role to play in the project at all.
I think if the Civil society groups are not satisfied with the N37bn project cost, they should rather take the FCDA to court and not the National Assembly.
“We only approved the project like any others contained in the 2020 budget, which is our responsibility. The technical officers of the FCDA should be in the best position to explain how they arrived at the project cost.
I am not an engineer and there is no way I could know that the amount is too much for the execution of the project.”
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