Controversial NASS Renovation: Procurement Process Begins As FG Releases N9.25bn Instead Of N27bn

The procurement process for the controversial renovation of the National Assembly Complex has began as the Federal Government released the sum of N9.25 billion for the much-publicised renovation.

The FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, disclosed this on Thursday as he appeared before the senate committee on the 2021 National Appropriation Bill to defend his 2021 budget estimates.

According to him, the sum released, however, is embedded in the 2020 budget of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

In their submissions, a cross-section of members of the Senate Committee on the FCT, urged the Minister to make good use of the appropriation for the country’s capital city.

Meanwhile, N45.527billion is the sum appropriated for the FCT National Priority capital budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

BIGPEN reports that the disclosure has cleared speculations making the round that N27 billion was the sum approved for the National Assembly renovation.

The renovation of the national assembly complex reportedly for initial N37 billion naira had elicited wide reactions from Nigerians.

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Recalls the President of the Senate, Admad Lawan had said that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the sum for the renovation of National Assembly after the leadership of the National Assembly met with him and complained about the state of the legislative complex.

Multiple reports say the development had triggered controversy among Nigerians who wonder why the legislative arm will require N37 billion for renovation.

Some civil society groups and group of Nigerians have filed a lawsuit asking the Federal High Court, Abuja to “restrain and stop President Muhammadu Buhari and Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning from releasing N37 billion allocated for the renovation of the National Assembly complex to the Federal Capital Development Agency and the National Assembly until an impact assessment of the spending is carried out”, according to one report in PREMUIM TIMES.

But a statement on the website of the Budget Office, budgetoffice.gov.ng and signed by the Director General, Ben Akabueze, had explained that it only approved N9.3bn from the initial N37bn budget for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.

“The provision for renovation/retrofitting of the National Assembly (NASS) Complex in the revised budget is N9.25bn, not N27bn as being bandied around. The initial provision of N37bn in the 2020 Appropriation Act for this was cut by 75% due to the impact of Covid-19 on government revenues,” Akabueze had explained.