The Senate has said that the scandalous media reports about the leaking roof of the National Assembly have given credence to an earlier request for the sum of 37 billion Naira to renovate the building which was rejected by the Federal Executive Council, FEC.
This followed a Point of Order raised by the Deputy Chief Whip, Aliyu Sabi, who described some of the media reports on the leaking roof as completely “misleading.
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Reacting, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said at the inception of the ninth Senate, he and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the building and saw the level of dilapidation.
He said it was based on this that the budget of 37 billion Naira was arrived at and sent to the Presidency for necessary approval.
According to Lawan, the Presidency rejected the amount prompting the National Assembly to reduce the renovation cost to 9 billion Naira which is yet to be released.
Lawan, however, cautioned the media to always thoroughly investigate every piece of information before rushing to the press.
The Senate President emphasized that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), was directly responsible for the renovation of the National Assembly.