NASS renovation: Reps optimistic of July 17 completion date

The leadership of the House of Representatives on Tuesday expressed optimism that the contractor handling the renovation of the House Chambers will complete the project on or before 17th July, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Engineer Shehu Ahmad, who spoke during an interview in May, said the sum of N19 billion has been spent so far out of the N30.2 billion appropriated for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.

Responding to issue bothering on the leaking parts of the Chambers and adjourning offices, Chairman, Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim said, “So as far as the building is concerned, the main Chambers, I think they’ve said the deadline for completion will be the 17th of this month, or 17th of July.

“In which case, they (Contractor) have said they are going to finish all the renovation work going on and so we are hoping that this deadline will be kept intact and it will be met as we’ve been told.”

It would be recalled that the sum of N37 billion was approved in the 2020 Appropriation Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari for the renovation of the National Assembly complex, Abuja.

However, the immediate past Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammad Bello, who spoke during an oversight function by the Senate Committee on FCT led by Senator Smart Adeyemi hinted that the amount was downwardly reviewed to N9.25 billion in the revised 2020 budget to enable the FCDA pay contractors, leaving a balance of N21.025 billion.

According to him, the total cost of rehabilitation work which stood at N30,229,290,830.35 was not part of the National Assembly’s annual budget of N128 billion as being insinuated in some quarters.

Speaking during the inspection of the ongoing construction of the permanent site of the National Assembly Service Commission last year, a NASC Federal Commissioner, Mr. Basil Olusegun, who doubles as chairman of the monitoring and implementation Committee disclosed that the contract was awarded at the cost of N11.6 billion and the completion period of 104 weeks.

The Senior Architect, Tirade Associate, project consultant on the National Assembly Service Commission Complex, Architect Michael Baka during a media chat after the inspection of the project had assured that the ongoing construction will be accelerated.

“We are accelerating the work to see that we complete this project by April 2023 as against August 2023. On the civic works, are on the third and fourth floors, we are 70% completed. By the time you factor in services, we say we are 30% completed. It is an office complex which also has pockets of spaces for occasions during work.”

He further affirmed that the cost of the project which currently stands at N11.6 billion, was N3.5 billion when it was conceived in 2011.

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