Vice-President’s House To Cost N14bn – FCDA

It’s Unacceptable, We Won’t Approriate More Funds –Senate

The New Official Residence Of Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Under Construction, Is To Cost Taxpayers N14bn, If The National Assembly Grant

S The Fresh Request For An Additional N9bn For The Project.
But Members Of The Senate Committee On Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Yesterday Kicked Against The Request For An Additional N9bn To Be Appropriated For The Completion Of The Vice-President’s Official Residence, Vowing Not To Accede To The Demand.

The Project, Which Is Being Handled By Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Was Originally Valuated At N7bn.
However, During An Oversight Visit To The New Residence Located Within The Three-Arms Zone (Behind The National Assembly), An Official Of The Construction Company Told The Chairman Of FCT Senate Committee, Smart Adeyemi, And Other Members That They Had Left Construction Site Since June 30, As A Result Of Lack Of Funds To Continue Work On The Project.
The Official Explained That The Additional Funds Being Sought For Were To Cover Facilities Such As Security Installations, Furniture, Fencing And Banquet Hall Which Were Not Part Of The Original Plan.
Executive Secretary Of The Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, Adamu Ismail, Who Also Provided Justification For The Additional Funds Being Requested, Noted That “N14bn Is What Is Required For The Completion And Furnishing Of The Residence.” He Added: “We Have Worked Out The Details And Passed It To The Bureau Of Public Procurement, BPP, For Consideration.
“They (BPP) Have Sent It Back To Us With Their Observations; We Requested For N9bn But Now It Came To About N6bn.”
The Executive Secretary Stated That The Original Contract Sum Was N7bn, Stressing That Upon Review, It Was Agreed That Additional Facilities Should Be Added To The Original Concept To Fortify The Number Two Citizen’s Residence.
Members Of The Committee, While Objecting To The Additional Funds For The Project, Noted That Any Additional Funds To The Project Will Be “Indefensible” And “Too Much For The Nigerian Masses To Bear.”
Adeyemi Said: “The Senate Is Not Going To Appropriate Additional Funds To The Ongoing Project Of The VP’s Official Residence; N7bn Is More Than Adequate To Complete This Project.
“Now You Are Asking Us To Approve A Total Sum Of N14bn And This Is Just The Vice President’s Residence. This Amount To Me Is Huge For The Vice President’s House. The N14bn To Us Is Indefensible.
“The N14bn To Us Is Indefensible, Especially At A Period In This Country Where Some People Cannot Get Three Square Meals. The N9bn Is Far More Than The Original Cost Of The Project.” “We Appreciate The Fact That Our Vice-President Has To Be Adequately Protected, But The N7bn Is Enough.”
The Sum Of N2bn Was Appropriated For The New Vice-President Residence Project In The 2013 Budget Proposal Of The Federal Capital Territory.
Meanwhile, During The Commencement Of The Oversight Visits On Wednesday, The Committee Expressed Satisfaction With The Youth Employment Initiative Undertaken By The FCT Arts And Culture, Pledging To Appropriate More Funds To Help In The Completion Of Projects In The Territory.
Specifically, The Lawmakers Applauded The Efforts Of The Secretary, Social Development Of FCT Arts And Culture, Mrs. Blessing Onuh, Towards Engaging Youths In The Territory, With The Completion Of Youth Support Centre In Nyanya.
The Centre, With Over Eight Buildings, Is Equipped With A Printing Press, And Is Expected To Engage About 200 Youths, Who Will Be Trained On How To Operate The Equipment.
Speaking To Journalists At The Centre, Senator Adeyemi Said: “This Is A Very Good Initiative We Will Look At The Possibility Of Providing More Funds So That They Will Bring More Projects That Will Engage The Youths.”
While Lawmakers Gave Thumbs-Up To The Centre, It Was All Thumbs-Down And Criticism For The Proposed Government Secondary School, GSS, Maitama Project, Which Contract Was Said To Have Beeen Awarded Since 2005, With Very Little On Ground To Justify The Funds Allocated Towards The Realisation Of The Project.
The Senators Were Visibly Angry At The GSS’ Site, When The Contractor Handling The Project Said That The Total Contract Sum Of The Building Is N320m.
Source: National Mirror