TheCable

The senate says the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) is responsible for the maintenance of the national assembly complex.

Ajibola Basiru, spokesman of the senate, made the clarification following a leaking roof in the complex after a heavy downpour on Tuesday.

Following the report of the incident, many Nigerians accused the lawmakers of failing to repair the edifice despite receiving an allocation for it.

In a statement on Wednesday, Basiru said the leadership of the national assembly did not receive any money for the repairs of the complex.

“It is pertinent to inform the General Public that the national assembly and its leadership is not responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the National Assembly Complex and they have not received a sum of N37 billion naira or any amount for the renovation of the complex,” he said in the statement.

“While it is true that an initial appropriation of the above-stated 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 must be reiterated that the National Assembly Complex is a National Monument which falls under the purview of control of the Federal Capital Development Agency. In essence, the FCDA is responsible for its maintenance as well as renovation and not the Leadership of the National Assembly as being falsely bandied about.”

Basiru added that the leakage justifies the “apprehension” of the leadership of the national assembly on the need to renovate the complex.