Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) said the National Assembly Complex will not be ready till August, despite pressure for the remodelling of the complex to be completed before the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.
The executive secretary of FCDA, Engr. Shehu Ahmad, who made this known during a press briefing yesterday, said the enormity of work for a world-class parliament building was such that should not be rushed, to avoid past mistakes, and deliver excellent lasting results.
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Shehu said in the course of the N19 billion renovation, remodelling, air-conditioning, and furnishing works, the FCDA team visited some of the world’s best parliamentary structures including the 17th-Century parliament building in Rome and that of the European Union in Brussels, Belgium.
According to him, the comfort and convenience of parliamentarians in the two chambers, the Senate and House of Representatives, was of paramount importance for smooth legislative and budgetary duties.
The executive secretary who noted that the Authority has never had it this good as under the FCT minister, Muhammad Bello, disclosed that multi-billion naira projects under his supervision were given approvals by the recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings.
He said barely two weeks ago, approval was granted for the provision of engineering infrastructure for Maitama 2, a new district created by Muhammad Musa Bello during his first tenure as FCT minister.
The N184 billion project awarded to Dantata and Sawoe, with 24 months completion period, will necessitate the commencement of the development of a Diaspora City which is contiguous to the new district.
He stated that the FCT Administration was working on providing access road to Maitama 2, by extending ring 1 to 10-lane Expressway up to Nasarawa State and getting the state to also construct its end, assuring that the developments would provide an alternative route and resolve the perennial traffic situation on the Abuja-Keffi route.
The FCDA boss revealed that other contracts also recently approved for the award by FEC include the construction of three solid waste transfer stations in Mpape, Apo, and Kubwa; provision of electric power and water supply to Apo-Tafyi Federal Integrated Staff Housing site and access road and car park for Abuja Light Rail at Stadium and Kukwaba Stations.
Assuring that the Apo-Karshi Road was also ongoing and would be completed, the executive secretary disclosed that other projects also approved by FEC include the construction of a 15km road from A2 Junction (Abuja-Lokoja Road) to Pai in Kwali Area Council; as well as the construction of Nanda-Pandagi-Dangara-Agyena Road.
According to him, the FCT Administration also received approval for the revised cost for the contraction and equipping of the 220-Bed Gwarinpa District Hospital.
Shehu averred that the Bello administration has had to provide access roads to almost all the rail stations, even as he added contracts, at the ministerial level, have been awarded for resurfacing old and dilapidated roads in most parts of Wuse and Garki.
He said that government could not do it all alone, recalling that the Bello-led FCTA has successfully commenced the development of a first-ever district under the Land for Infrastructure programme, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in the nation’s capital.