World enews: Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory To Spend N30 Billion To Rehabilitate National Assembly Complex

The Federal Capital Territory Administration would spend N30.222 billion in the ongoing rehabilitation of the National Assembly Complex, the Minister, Malam Musa Bello had said.

Bello disclosed this on Thursday when the Senate Committee on FCT carried out an oversight visit to various project sites being constructed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) in Abuja, according to Daily Post.

He disclosed that the cost of approval of the rehabilitation work by President Muhammadu Buhari was N37 billion, which was included in the 2020 budget of the Federal Capital Development Administration.

He, however, explained that the cost was reviewed downward to N9.25 billion in the revised 2020 budget to enable the FCDA to pay contractors, leaving a balance of N21.025 billion.

Bello stated that the total cost of rehabilitation work which stood at N30,229, 290,830.35 billion was not part of the National Assembly’s annual budget of N128 billion as some people had claimed.

He also that the contract, which was awarded on December 30, 2021, has a completion period of two years.

He stated that the National Assembly Phase II, popularly known as “the White House” was realised from 1996 to 1999 by ITB Nigeria Ltd without any major rehabilitation works carried out on the building over the years.

Speaking on other projects embarked upon by the administration, the minister said the Federal Secretariat Complex and the construction of southern park way from Christian Center to Ring Road had commenced.

Others he said are the rehabilitation of the expansion of Outer Southern Expressway, provision of engineering infrastructure for Wuye District, rehabilitation and expansion of Outer Southern Expressway Villa Roundabout and completion of B6, B12 and Circle Road in Central Area.

The minister said the FCDA decided to prioritise key projects due to paucity of funds, but assured that all projects which were ongoing would be completed in record time.

Bello said: “And in deciding the ones that fit into that category, we looked at the ones that will give the maximum benefit to the maximum number of people.

“All the four projects we visited, you find that they are all road projects that are meant to link one section of the Abuja city to another and that is the whole idea.

“The master plan has been designed in such a way that they complement each other.

“So if you finish one portion and you don’t do the other one, then you don’t get the full utility of that particular road.”

Bello further indicated that the ministry is determined to ensure that a number of projects are completed before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“Some of them we intend to develop them to a level whereby the next team should be able to do it.

“Ultimately, the objective is to make Abuja a vibrant city; a city where people will feel comfortable; where there wouldn’t be traffic gridlock and where facilities will work.”