National Assembly’s N37bn foundation makeup

Growing up in the late early 60s, one got used to seeing  large black circles painted on government buildings across the Northern Region with inscription that went thus: MOW DECORATED IN & OUT 1962. Later on, one understood that the “notice” meant that the particular building was renovated in, for instance, 1962 and would be […]

Growing up in the late early 60s, one got used to seeing  large black circles painted on government buildings across the Northern Region with inscription that went thus: MOW DECORATED IN & OUT 1962. Later on, one understood that the “notice” meant that the particular building was renovated in, for instance, 1962 and would be qualified for same in four years’ time. The takeaway from that was that maintenance and renovation of public buildings were issues that government took seriously, and for which it prescribed schedules.

Contrast that with the reported approval for the National Assembly and the FCT Administration to spend N37bn to renovate “a section” of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. The number of sections the complex has been divided into for the purpose of renovation and the time frame for completion were not revealed. It however can’t escape notice that the partial renovation will cost nearly four times what was spent on building the entire complex 20 years ago.

The case of a dilapidated NASS complex causes the interrogation of the policy of maintaining government buildings, if any, and how budgetary provisions for that purpose have been applied over the years, at least since the current dispensation took off.

National Development Plans of which annual budgets are components are absolutely necessity to minimise indulgent government expenditures.

M T Usman  [email protected]