The Federal Capital Territory has yet to complete the construction of official residences of the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and their deputies more than eight years after it began the project.
It was learnt on Wednesday that five months after the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had been living in their private homes.
Although the 479 members of both chambers were paid accommodation allowances shortly after their inauguration on June 11, 2019, the presiding officers are entitled to official residences like the heads of other arms of the Federal Government.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that while Lawan still resides in his house in Maitama area of Abuja, Omo-Agege remains in his Guzape home also in the FCT.
It was gathered that Gbajabiamila still lives in one of the former official residences in the Apo Legislative Quarters, which were sold to members of the 6th National Assembly by the Federal Government. Wase lives in the Gwarimpa area of the nation’s capital.
It was reliably gathered that construction of the official residences of the presiding officers of the National Assembly was slowed down for financial reasons.
A report published by an online news medium, Legit, titled, “Four Facts about New Residences for National Assembly Presiding Officers,” and published in 2015, said the project “cost is estimated at N27.1bn upon completion.”
They are located in Three Arms Zone, which also accommodates the Presidential Villa, National Assembly Complex, Supreme Court, National Arcade, Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
When completed, the beneficiaries will include the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
A source in the office of the Speaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that Gbajabiamila had been living in one of the houses sold to members of the 6th National Assembly in the Apo Legislative Quarters.
The official said, “Julius Berger is approaching the completion stage but it is asking for more money to hasten the work. The leadership is also trying to help it to get the fund. The FCTA is handling the project. The contractor is however lamenting that it has not paid fully.
Efforts to get Gbajabiamila’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Lanre Lasisi, to speak on his principal’s accommodation proved abortive.
The Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, who confirmed that he had been living in his private home, noted that it was his personal sacrifice to the country.
“As far as I am concerned, the position of the Deputy Senate President is about national service. It is something that I asked for, an opportunity to render service to our people and country. It is an opportunity that has been given to me by my colleagues. If that is the sacrifice we have to make to be able to render that service, so be it,” he stated.
Omo-Agege, however, criticised the President Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration for monetising the accommodation of federal legislators.
He said, “We are hoping that that enough fund will be provided in this (2020) budget to expedite the completion of the official residence, which is just right there by the National Assembly. Until then, I believe that accommodation would be provided for us; the presiding officers. We are still waiting as the process is going on. We believe that those responsible – the FCTA – will do that. Until then, we have to make do with either hotels or our private homes.”
The Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, noted that the National Assembly leaders were entitled to official residences, but the FCTA was not allegedly meeting their demands.
His Chief Press Secretary, Umar Puma, who consulted Wase before speaking to our correspondent, said, “All of them live in their personal residences. He (Wase) said it was not their own making that they had asked for it but, nothing had been done about it.
Recall that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had on November 30, 2010, approved the sale of the official residences of the presiding officers of the sixth National Assembly in the Apo Legislative Quarters.
Those who benefited from the sale then included a former President of the Senate, David Mark; his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu; an ex-Speaker of the House, Dimeji Bankole; and Deputy Speaker, Usman Nafada.
The sum of N1.5bn was later proposed in the 2011 budget for the construction of residences for the National Assembly leaders. The contract was awarded to Julius Berger at the cost of N3bn.
The leadership of the Seventh National Assembly, however, rejected the location of the quarters in Maitama Extension (renamed Goodluck Jonathan District) behind the Lungi Military Barracks.
A former Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed, had announced that the project was suspended due to the protests by the lawmakers.
Mohammed had said a new project at the Three Arms Zone would be completed before the completion of the 7th Assembly in June 2015, with the hope that Mark, Ekweremadu; the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal; and Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha, would move into the new buildings.
The problem primarily is funding – FCT
When contacted on Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary of the FCTA, Mr Tony Ogunleye, said he did not have details of the project. He asked one of our correspondents to call back on Wednesday for details of the construction.
On Wednesday, Ogunleye said he was waiting for a director who had the details of the project to brief him. The FCTA’s spokesman later sent a text message, “Just gone into a meeting. But I was informed the problem is primarily funding.”
A senior official at Julius Berger told our correspondent that the FCT administration should have a better explanation on why the residence of the National Assembly leaders were still being constructed.
“I think the best source of the information you seek will be the government, not our company,” the source, who spoke to our correspondent in confidence, said.
The company’s spokesperson, Moses Duku, could not be reached for comments, as efforts to get him were unsuccessful.
Source: Punchng
