The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory has rejected plans by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to spend additional N9bn on the provision of infrastructure at the yet-to-be-completed residence of the Vice-President.

The committee, which visited the building site in Abuja on Thursday, refused to accept explanations from FCTA officials that N9bn more be sunk into the project.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, who led members of his committee to the site, said such a huge amount was unjustifiable in the face of abject poverty in the country.

The Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Adamu Ismail, told the committee that the project was awarded in 2009 at a cost of N7bn.

He said the additional fund was needed to provide furniture, fencing, two protocol guest houses, a banquet hall and other security gadgets.
According to Ismail, the proposal is not included in the original plan of the building being handled by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
He said, “We have worked out the details and passed it to Bureau for Public Procurement for consideration. They have sent it back to us with their observation. We requested N9bn but now it came to about N6bn.”

However, Smart said, “The National Assembly is not going to appropriate additional N9bn for the project, especially at a period in this country when people cannot get a square meal.

“The N9bn is far more than the original cost of the project.
“Fourteen billion Naria to me is huge for the Vice-President’s house. If you are even talking of N10bn that would be understandable.

“The reality is that N14bn is indefensible and that is our submission. In Nigeria there are still many people with empty stomach. So we have to look at budgeting in relation to the needs of the people.”

However, Vice-Chairman of the Committee, Senator Domingo Obende, urged the officials to submit the details of the additional scope of work for which the fund was required to the committee for proper scrutiny.

The Vice-President’s residence had N2bn allocated to it in the FCTA’s 2013 budget.

http://lindaikeji..com/2012/12/sambo-asks-for-extra-n9b-for-new.html

It is official ,i am definitely going to be become a rebel.This has gone on for too long.These Politicians right from the president to the last local Government Councillors must be killed. Rallys are pointless as they achieve nothing.The only way we will achieve freedom and good governance in Nigeria is to over run and kill all these politicians.The time is now if we are really serious about the future of our country.160 million people held to ransom by a few people. Moderator ,front page please.

make dem give am.when oil money finish. We go dey export human being like old days

they must be building alice wonderland, atlantis or a mansion in the air with such money... its like this administration is just out 4 itself alone.. After eatin 1billion food, they sleep in 9billion naira mansion when many nigerians are sleeping under bridge.. Smh 4 dis government

when he leaves office he buys it for 100m

Sanusi's talk us beginning to work 0

Nigeria needs over hauling!

na heaven dem wan build?

Even the initial approval of 7 billion naira for just a vice-president's residence is unheard of.. Office complexes costs lesser for Christ sake!

The most selfish bunch of rulers Nigeria has ever had. GEJ and Sambo. Jet buying, mansion building, billion dollar food buying,first lady permanent secretary making bunch of greedy people.

All man for himself. . .

CLIQBOY: na heaven dem wan build?

Na tartarus dem wan construct.

is it sambos house or its going be a standby for all vice president to come in the future.

I like this, just N9B for a whole vice president? he's being modest, if just part of a banquet is to cost N2.2B, why shouldn't a whole VICE PRESIDENT OF NAIJA house cost even N20B?

playmode: It is official ,i am definitely going to be become a rebel.This has gone on for too long.These Politicians right from the president to the last local Government Councillors must be killed. Rallys are pointless as they achieve nothing.The only way we will achieve freedom and good governance in Nigeria is to over run and kill all these politicians.The time is now if we are really serious about the future of our country.160 million people held to ransom by a few people. Moderator ,front page please.

wow i cant wait to meet u in d battle ground

I've resigned from Nigeria

Awon O.l.o.s.h.i, na thunder go fire una.
For crying out loud, this is outrageous and getting out of hand.

N9b for a house. Are they trying to build a house to heaven?! Too late; because they're no where near hea-ven.

Even the OBAMAS & CLINTONS of this world dare not make such demands. . . 1 Billion Naira alone is 2much not to talk of 10 Billion, do u know how many millions Of DOLLARS that amounts to?
We don't have a democracy in Nigeria. We need to switch to traditional rulership so they can kill anybody they want to, have se.x with any woman they want and own everything just like their silly ancestors.
Illiterate politicians who can't write letter O with d bottom of a bottle. . .

This is absolutely ridiculous and not justifiable, what happened to Sambo's present abode? Why the need for any expansion and why the need for such huge amount at a time when the government is contemplating going aborrowing to finance ordinary project like laying of pipelines?

If this is not a misplaced priorities, I wonder what it is, and it will be the highest form of irresponsibility and callousness if any dime is approved by the authority concerned towards the completion of a building project that add no values to the life of the commoners.

And you begin to wonder why we have No roads, No water, No light.
Some very selfish greedy few are sitting on our commonwealth!.

pls am confused..
14 billion naira 4 a house....
in a country were we dont have stable power supply
In a country were d youths are unemployed....
What happened to his former official residenc....??
Infact am Packing my bags.... relocating to cotonou.

also confused

hopelessly selfish bunch. how can you as a sitting leader begin to even consider such expenditure. the same vp who has people living in abject poverty in his hometown with no access to anything good from the government. power really does corrupt absolutely.

Sh*t.. ERROR... Calculator malfunction!

This is more than enough money 2 build a factory to provide jobs for over 1000 people!

May almighty God make the lives of these Aso Rock thieves miserable despite their loots, amen! I weep for those who voted for GEJ and not PDP...We could have avoided this mishap!

Minion: My King! The house of reps has refused to release more outrageous funds
Hades: You are truly ignorant! Dont u kno that the transaction that cannot be done in the open marketplace is done in the backyard?!
Minion: Omeleme ooo! So they will release the funds in secret?!

it is our fault we have been praying for their success, so they are succeeding, while they are just hoping for our success. Na our fault be that!

How is 10 billion naira understandable? smh

Na wa ooo, dat 9b cn b use 2 renovate atleast 2 refinaries nd ajakuta steel company. Dis wil generate thousands of jobs nd dey wil stil make more mony

N14b for a residential building? Bedrooms, though he will sleep in a room @ any one time,living rooms-though he will spend half of the year in the office, out of the country and in 5 star hotels, library, though he wont read a book there and a mammoth residential building that he cannot maintain honestly.

As if them all get sense.
"blah blah blah...a square meal".
Y'all gon recognize very soon.