The leadership of the National Assembly says that the bashing it has received both on mainstream and online media over the leaking roof of the assembly complex is unjustified, as it has not received any amount for renovation of the structure, nor is it, in fact, its responsibility to effect renovation.
The media, especially online, have been abuzz with posts, including pictorial, of the leaking roof of the assembly complex following a downpour on Tuesday.
But in a statement on Wednesday by the Senate spokesperson, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, the leadership of the Assembly said contrary to the “widespread falsehood being peddled” the National Assembly and its leadership are not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the National Assembly Complex and they have not received N37 billion, as widely alleged, for the renovation.
It said, “While it is true that an initial appropriation of the said 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.
“Even with this reduction, the sum of 9 billion or any amount is yet to be cash-backed or released to the National Assembly. None of this amount is even appropriated for the National Assembly bureaucracy or its leadership.”
It reiterated that the National Assembly Complex is a national monument which falls under the control of the Federal Capital Development Agency, and therefore it is the FCDA that is responsible for its maintenance and not the leadership of the National Assembly.
“The leakage witnessed at the foyer of the National Assembly yesterday (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,” it added.