Why National Assembly houses are uncompleted

The question why houses for the presiding officers of the National Assembly are not available came to the fore recently when the new officers took oath of office in Abuja. Though the immediate past government promised to deliver the houses, the contractor Julius Berger Plc warned last year that finishing construction works was impossible.Despite assurance […]

The question why houses for the presiding officers of the National Assembly are not available came to the fore recently when the new officers took oath of office in Abuja. Though the immediate past government promised to deliver the houses, the contractor Julius Berger Plc warned last year that finishing construction works was impossible.
Despite assurance by erstwhile minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Mohammed that the residences of the presiding officers of the National Assembly would be completed early this year, the houses are still under construction.
Because of this, the presiding officers have been attending official matters from their personal houses since their inauguration on June 9, 2015.
Houses that would have served them have been bought by the former officers in 2010 in what government tagged monetization. Immediate past Senate President David Mark bought the one for senate president while the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ikwerenmadu bought the deputy senate president house. Former Speaker Dimeji Bankole bought the one for speaker and Bethel Amadi takes the one for deputy speaker. They were sold to them at discounted rate.
Government had to construct new houses for the lawmakers. 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.
The houses are located on the left hand side as one approaches the main entrance to the National Assembly in the Three Arms Zone.
Investigations showed that delay in completion of works on the houses was partly caused by abandonment of the projects on its initial site. Works on the houses had started in a place on the fringe of the city called Mpape when the lawmakers protested. They said since the president, the vice president and the Chief Justice of Nigeria live within the Three Arms Zone, their houses must be there as well. It could not be ascertained the level of works done in Mpape but the site was completely abandoned. The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) was instructed to find a place within the Three Arms Zone to construct the houses.
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, while inspecting works on the houses, the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited told the former FCT minister that non frequent release of funds and non approval of variation costs would make completion of the houses as targeted impossible.
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 [last] 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.”
Efforts to reach Warnecke on phone to say whether the FCT administration redeemed its pledge failed.
As at Dec. last year, the contract value was put at N24.148 billion excluding variation costs. Works were then 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.”
Lot could not be reached to say the level of works done so far. Someone in his office said he was indisposed.
We could not reach the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa but a senior official in the information unit of the National Assembly who did not want his name mentioned here said since the houses are not available, management of the National Assembly will bear the cost of accommodating the presiding officers.