LEAKING ROOF: Senate Exonerates National Assembly
Senate has said 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, the National Assembly and its leadership is not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the National Assembly Complex and has not received a sum of 37 billion naira or any amount for the renovation of the Complex.
Senate spokesman Surajudeen Ajibola in a statement on Wednesday noted that “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 “
He said that even with the reduction, the said sum of 9 billion naira or any amount is yet to be cash backed or released to the National Assembly.
The lawmaker maintained that
none of the amount has even been appropriated for the National Assembly bureaucracy or its leadership.
The upper legislative chamber reiterated that the National Assembly Complex is a National Monument which falls under the purview of control of the Federal Capital Development Agency.
It added that the FCDA is responsible for its maintenance as well as renovation and not the Leadership of the National Assembly as being falsely bandied about.
It however acknowledged the leakage witnessed at the foyer of the National Assembly on Tuesday 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” .
