Lawmakers have included an extra N30bn in the 2024 Appropriation Bill for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex. The additional N30bn is part of the N344.85bn budgeted for the National Assembly, a significant increase from the initial N197.93bn allocation. This N344.85bn, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on January 1, marks the highest-ever budget allocation for the legislature.
The earmarked N30bn brings the total expenditure on the National Assembly Complex renovation to N60bn. Senate President Godswill Akpabio, also the President of the National Assembly, previously announced that the ongoing projects and renovations, costing N30bn, would be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in December 2023. The renovation, originally scheduled for completion in August 2022, has faced delays, with subsequent delivery dates moved to January 2023 and then December 2023.
As of January 2024, the renovation is yet to be completed, and visible work is still in progress on the premises. The contractor, Visible Construction Company, cited financial constraints as a hindrance to completing the project, emphasizing the need for released funds.
During an oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, the site engineer, Tajudeen Olanipekun, attributed the delay to fluctuations in the value of the naira against the U.S. dollar, hindering the importation of necessary materials and equipment.
However, Richard Nduul, the Head of Public Relations at the Federal Capital Development Agency, disclosed in June that N19bn had been paid to Visible Construction Nigeria Limited. Nduul highlighted that the project, when completed, would transform the National Assembly Complex into a world-class parliamentary building.
Efforts to obtain an updated expenditure figure were unsuccessful, as both Nduul and Olanipekun, the site engineer, were unavailable for comment. Nduul cited sick leave as the reason for his unavailability and suggested contacting him on Monday for the records. Olanipekun did not respond to calls or messages.