The Contractor handling the renovation of the House of Representatives has said the December 31st deadline given by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, to complete the renovation of the facility was not sacrosanct.
The Speaker and his Deputy, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, gave the deadline for the completion when they paid an unscheduled visit to the project site on Nov. 14.
The renovation of the facility began in April 2022 and has lasted over one year without any signs that the job is nearing completion.
During the visit, Abbas said the contractor should ensure that the renovation of the facility is completed by December 31, 2023 to enable lawmakers to begin year 2024 legislative work at the newly-renovated chamber.
The project is being handled by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) and not the management of the National Assembly.
The Project Manager of the contract, Mr Tajudeen Olanipekun, who said the deadline was not sacrosanct while reacting to the Dec. 31 deadline described the lawmakers as mere end users.
He said the contractors can only take orders from the clients.
According to him, “we are dealing with end users and not the client, whatever we do we report to the client. We cannot stop the end users from coming to see their property.”
The Speaker’s unscheduled inspection was to ensure that the Dec 31 deadline for the conclusion of the project is met.
This would also ensure that the House seating commences in the new chamber on resumption from the end-of-year recess.
Meanwhile, before the renovation work commenced, the national assembly complex was always flooded due to heavy rainfall.
Also, in 2019, over N30 billion was budgeted for the renovation of the complex, but the amount generated a lot of criticism and was reviewed downwards to N9 billion.
Rep. Amos Daniel, Chairman, House Services Committee, also gave the assurance of diligent supervision of the Contractor to ensure that the project was delivered on schedule and according to specification.
credit: PM News
