Variation, delayed pay slow national houses

The first site visited was in the Three Arms Zone where the construction of new residences for presiding officers of the National Assembly is ongoing. The site is on the left hand side as one approaches the main entrance to the National Assembly.The contract includes construction of residence of the Senate President, Speaker of the […]

The first site visited was in the Three Arms Zone where the construction of new residences for presiding officers of the National Assembly is ongoing. The site is on the left hand side as one approaches the main entrance to the National Assembly.
The contract includes construction of residence of the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker. Each residential compound comprises a five-bedroom main building with a swimming pool and lawn tennis court, three-bedroom residence for ADC, three-bedroom guest house, four-bedroom staff quarters and a gate house. There are common facilities such as chapel, mosque, banquet hall, general gate house and utilities.
Work has already started on the senate president’s house. It has both staircase and an elevator (in case the senate president is disabled). The contract value is put at N24.148 billion. Works are only 30 percent completed but the Director of Public Building, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) Bernard Lot assured, “The 30 percent is the most critical. The rest is easy. They’ve finished substantially all the basic drainage and infrastructural underground system.”
After inspecting works, FCT Minister Bala Mohammed  said, “We’re almost 100 percent living to our financial obligation. We’re going to get everything ready and I think the timeline for completing the project will soon be achieved by Julius Berger. We want the project to be completed early next year.
“Are you sure you’re on the right course to complete the houses as contemplated?” the minister asked the contractor.
Responding, the Division Manager, Abuja Division Management, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Hartmut Warnecke said, “Hon Minister, thank you very much. Right now, the completion date will not be possible because of the financial constraints we have this year.”
The minister in turn said, “I assure you that we’ve looked inward and changed our financial plans and so you have to really change…it’s unacceptable for this project not to be delivered on time. I know we have some financial constraints-it’s all over the country but we make this

project a priority and we know the integrity of this company. It’s very high. It has the capacity to deliver especially when the financial plans are ok. I assure you that the issue of financing is almost solved because we’re going to pay everything that is supposed to be paid.
“This is a place we want to enter the new dispensation on a clean slate and we must provide a befitting place for our presiding officers in the national assembly.”
 
N1 bn variation slows VP’s house
The minister proceeded to the vice president’s residence under construction within the Three Arms Zone, close to the SSS headquarters. The contract signed February this year is for construction of five-bedroom residence. It has a mosque, a chapel, a slaughter house, staff quarters, gym and recreation area and second lady’s office.
Works are nearly completed but non approval of N1 billion variation cost sent the contractor away from the site. It was gathered that the N1 billion variation cost shoots the total construction cost to N6 billion. The additional N1 billion is as a result of added security features.
The minister who did not enter the building for security concerns employed the contractor to double efforts to deliver the project, assuring that his administration is determined to tackle the encumbrances to the variation approval.
Division Manager, Abuja Division Management, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, said, “We’re not on site. We’re waiting for acceptance of variation cost. As soon as it’s approved we’ll fully mobilize. In the building, you’ll see the ceilings have been done but they’re still open because the variation includes security issues-there are security items which are to be implemented in the ceilings. As soon as the variation is approved, we’ll mobilize immediately. We want to finish this project as fast as possible.”
To this, the minister responded, “Leave it to me. I assure you that next year, I’ll work out all the financial requirements for this building. I want it finished by the [end of] tenure of this administration that is April because almost everything is completed. We’ll live up our obligations so that you can come with the security issue. I assure you, you’ll be coming back to site-we would want this building completed by April or May.”
It was said that works would have been completed if not for the challenge of additional works imbedded in the project and the cost component.

N5.3 bn security component slows UN Building
Mohammed was at the United Nations Building in the Central Business District. Contract for rehabilitation of the structure was awarded following the car bomb attack on it on Friday, August 26, 2011.
Here also the  Director of Public Buildings, FCDA, Lot explained that the affected area is the central core and it has been reconstructed. “That portion shaded and the corresponding glass broke. Luckily, the building was designed in three segments with three expansion joints so the other wings did not come down. The central core is independent of the rest of the structure,” Lot explained.
He said work stopped because of absence of payment but the contractor has been made to resume work having seen that allocations for the project have been made in the 2015 budget proposals. The balance of N2.5 billion is the bone of contention. Lot said another N1billion is to take care of commencement of furnishing inside the building.
But the big snag is the N5.3 billion security component of the project. This is still left unattended.
Mariam Sissoko who received the minister and his entourage at the UN House on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator and Head of UN staff in Nigeria, Daudou Toure thanked the minister for his concern and the support received so far from government.
She however told the minister that UN officials will not occupy the building if expected security apparatuses are not fixed.
Sissoko who is head of UN Office on Drugs and Crime said, “These security aspect is critical. We’re in this situation because the security features didn’t allow to protect the staff so we can’t go back to a situation where we were.”
She narrated the hardship the UN staff are passing through: “The situation as it is now isn’t good for us. We’re scattered all over the place in town.
“But we’re grateful for all the support we’ve received from various institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria which is providing us space, the governors of Gombe and Anambra [states] who have given us…offices and all those people of goodwill who assisted us in this difficult situation. But it’s not easy for the staff to work under this kind of conditions.
“So we’re looking forward to completion of the UN House as soon as possible. But not only that…I need to insist that even if the UN House is rebuilt and is back to its normal condition, without the security features, we’ll not be able to come back because if we come back in the state, what happened to us might come back again, it might be repeated. That’s a very important issue that we need look at jointly-the UN and the federal government to see how we can find a solution.”
The minister said, “Madam, we’re here to tell you that we’re concerned and we want this project to finish by next year. All the structures have been completed. Our marching order is to get this project restored to its original condition. I understand we have some issues…because normally if you give one mile, somebody will take another five miles.
“I know my brother Mr Daudou Toure, I discussed with him. There’re security components that have been added, some furnishing aspects and other things that will enhance the integrity which are completely outside the scope of what Mr President directed us to do.
“Certainly, we will make sure we finish first what we set out to do-to restore the building to its original position by making the financial obligations of plans with good cash flow and we have done that for next year so that by next year everything about this project is completed.
“We have only about N600 million indebtedness which is much but of course, this is a big company [referring to Julius Berger] and we urge you to employ your own corporate social responsibility…this is a United Nations building; we all have responsibility to it. Please, explore our corporate partnership we have had over the years and make sure you start the project.
“I know what they’re going through. They’re in rented places. They’re giving a lot of assistance to Nigeria and Nigerian government across board: federal, state and local governments.
“We assure you, we’re going to sit down with the contractors and change our work plan and deliver this project. Other components, I can’t assure you because we have some costing challenge, there are financial challenges in the budget. It’s about N2.5 billion. We’ll make sure we provide that next year but the other N5 billion, it’s very difficult-maybe we’ll sit down and join our heads. You’re a global civil servants. You’ll assist us.”