₦airaland Forum

Stanley Nkwocha @stanleynkwocha_

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

VP’s New Residence Fulfills Our Promise To Complete Inherited Projects - President Tinubu

*** Says it’s wasteful to abandon projects after spending heavily

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT has commissioned the official residence of the Vice President, saying it is in fulfillment of his promises to Nigerians, including completion of inherited projects which is one of the cardinal objectives of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday during the commissioning of the Vice President’s official residence, President Tinubu noted that it was in the government’s best interest as well as that of the public to ensure projects are completed.

The President who was represented at the event by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima @officialSKSM, stated categorically that abandoning projects after spending heavily amounts to a huge waste of the nation’s resources.

His words: “As we commission this state-of-the-art edifice as the official residence of the Vice President, we are fulfilling a longstanding commitment and reaffirming our unwavering dedication to accountability, transparency and efficient utilization of resources for the betterment of our nation.

“I hold a very strong opinion that abandoning projects after substantial expenditure have been incurred is inherently wasteful, and it is in the best interest of the government and the public to see them through to completion. I therefore, once again, want to express my gratitude to the FCT Administration for taking up the responsibility and feel duty-bound to complete this project to avoid wastage of taxpayers’ money”.

Underscoring the importance of the project, President Tinubu explained that “the provision of a suitable residence for the Vice President is not merely a matter of convenience,” but also “a symbol of respect for the office and the individual who occupies it.

“However, rather than dwell on past shortcomings, you have chosen to seize this opportunity to demonstrate our resolve to confront obstacles head-on and deliver on the promises made to the Nigerian people in line with our Renewed Hope Agenda, which has the completion of inherited projects as one of its cardinal objectives,” he added.

President Tinubu applauded the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike @GovWike, over what he described as “his achievements, commitment, and loyalty”, pointing out that the commissioning of the VP’s official residence was the 9th in the series of projects completed by the FCT Administration @OfficialFCTA under his dynamic and focused leadership.

He continued: “The actions of the FCT Minister and his dedication to duty are indeed remarkable and he stands as a shining example of what a public officer should be. As Victor Hugo rightly said, ‘Nothing else in the world, not even the army, is so powerful than the idea whose time has come’. Nyesom Wike is an idea whose time has come.

“He is a force of nature; coming out by 1 am to inspect projects is a testimony of the quality of leadership we are having in the @OfficialFCTA. And what you see is essentially what you get; he shoots straight from the hip, but most importantly, he is a doer, he is a performer. I think at the behest of the President you (Wike) should stand and take a bow”.

Earlier in his remarks, the FCT Minister, Wike @GovWike, commended President Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to completing abandoned projects across the nation, citing the Vice President's official residence as a testament to the administration's dedication.

Recounting the project's tumultuous journey, Wike said, "This project was awarded in 2010, fourteen years ago, and was abandoned in 2015. It was not until January of this year that we had a revised budget for the project. Now, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come and within a year, he has made this project a reality. This is the hope.

"If you don't stay in a good environment, you cannot put in your best. Environment affects productivity and efficiency. By the time you are inside and see what is provided, I'm sure Mr. Vice President will be encouraged to do more work than where he stays now."

Wike commended heads of the security agencies, including the National Security Adviser @Official_ONSA, Director General of the State Security Service @OfficialDSSNG, and the Inspector General of Police @PoliceNG, for their involvement in securing the premises, which he said had been overrun by bushes and criminal elements upon his arrival on August 21.

The Minister also praised the construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria, for their dedication and efficiency, stating that "once you put the money on the ground for them; go home and sleep. They don't need supervision."

In her remarks, Minister of State for FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud @drmmariya, described the commissioning of the Vice President's official residence as "a testament to what we can achieve when we have the right support and unwavering dedication to deliver on our set goals."

Mahmoud paid tribute to President Tinubu for his support, just as she expressed the FCT residents' @myfctagov honour in witnessing the commissioning of the residence.

Also, present at the commissioning were President of the Senate @SPNigeria, Godswill Akpabio; Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin @barauijibrin; Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils, David Jimkuta; Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, and Chairman, House Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, Hon. Agbedi Fred.

Others were Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle @Bellomatawalle1; Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Goronyo @BarBelloGoronyo, and Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim @hms_police.

Stanley Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President)
6th June, 2024

Stanley Nkwocha @stanleynkwocha_

Happening now....

Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has arrived for the Presidential Commissioning Ceremony of the Design and Construction of the Vice President's Residence in Abuja.

Photos

More photos

I originally wrote this post in April 2023.

naptu2:
I am sure that many people will start arguing about this issue again without knowing the full story, so I'm going to tell you the full story, beginning from the early 1980s.


There has always been issues around the idea of Lagos being the capital of Nigeria. Some people did not want Lagos to be the capital and instead they wanted it to be joined to the Western Region. The Action Group even offered to pay the Federal Government to find another place to be the capital. Meanwhile, some people in Lagos did not want Lagos to be the capital, neither did they want Lagos to join the Western Region. They felt that Lagos could stand on its own (Gedegbe l’Eko wa) and they wanted a Lagos State.

There was also the problem of what will happen if one party controls the Federal Government and another party controls Lagos.

The search for a new capital began in the Gowon era, but General Gowon was overthrown before a new capital could be found. Justice Akinola Aguda headed the committee that eventually recommended the present FCT as the new capital and their recommendation was accepted by General Murtala Muhammed.

President Shehu Shagari took the idea of a new capital very seriously. I have previously told you about the friction between the NPN controlled Federal Government and the UPN controlled Lagos State Government. So President Shagari seriously wanted to move to Abuja. He held the first Independence Day parade in Abuja and therefore, the Akinola Aguda Lodge was built as a place for him to stay while he was in Abuja.

That is issue number 1. The Akinola Aguda House.

It was actually just a make-shift house, so that the president could stay there when he was in Abuja.


General Ibrahim Babangida also staged Independence Day parades in Abuja, but work on Abuja slowed down a bit because of the economic crisis.


There was a master plan for Abuja and in that master plan the presidential palace was meant to be at a certain location. However, no president has actually lived there. That place is now the Shehu Shagari Complex and it serves as the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

That is issue number 2, the Shehu Shagari Complex.


Three things happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. (A) There was the very violent 1989 SAP riot (B) there was the very violent Orkar Coup in 1990 and (C) there was the Gulf War windfall.

A and B made President Babangida want to leave Lagos and C gave him the money to do it.


The Aso Rock Villa was built to serve as the new presidential palace. That area was originally meant to be a green area in the Abuja master plan.


That is issue number 3: The Aso Rock Villa


Now we are getting close to the most relevant issue.


The Federal Government moved to Abuja in 1991, but everything wasn't ready. It was important (for optics) that both Babangida and Aikhomu moved to Abuja. The service chiefs and others remained in Lagos, but Babangida and Aikhomu had to move to Abuja. But there was a problem. The Vice President's residence was not ready! So where would Aikhomu stay?


An agreement was reached. The Supreme Court was not ready to move to Abuja, but the Chief Justice's residence was ready. Therefore, Aikhomu would stay in the Chief Justice's residence.

That is issue 4: The Chief Justice's Residence.


Aikhomu, Diya, Aikhigbe and Atiku stayed at the Chief Justice's residence.


However, there was friction between Obasanjo and Atiku at the tail end of the Obasanjo era.

You see, Abacha had forced the Supreme Court to move to Abuja during the June 12 case and the Chief Justice now lived in temporary accommodation in Abuja. The Judiciary Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives then complained that the vice president was living in the chief justice's house. (I suspect that President Obasanjo had a hand in that complaint). The Federal Government then decided that the vice president should move into the Akinola Aguda House, so that the chief justice can take back the house that was originally built for him.

At this point I need to tell you more about the Akinola Aguda House.

I said that Akinola Aguda House was a makeshift house when Shagari lived there. It was decided that Aguda House should be the guest house of the president and that a befitting house should be built. The contract was awarded, but it kept dragging on. I remember when Jerry Useni was minister of the FCT. He kept promising that the house would be completed, but it was not completed.

Then Nigeria was to host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2003 and it was decided that Akinola House should be rebuilt so that Queen Elizabeth could stay there for the summit. It was at this time that it was finally completed.

So they asked Atiku to go and live there. However, Aguda House was within the Aso Rock precinct and Atiku did not trust Obasanjo, so he refused to move there and instead moved into his private house in Abuja.


However, after the 2007 elections, Niger Delta militants attacked Dr Goodluck Jonathan's personal house in Bayelsa. Luckily he was not there at the time. The National Security Adviser therefore advised President Obasanjo that a safe place needed to be found for the vice-president-elect to stay. Eventually it was decided that he should stay at Akinola Aguda House, which is the presidential guest house.

All vice presidents since then; Namadi Sambo and Yemi Osinbajo, have stayed at Aguda House.

But I told you that Aguda House was the presidential guest house. So where was the vice president originally supposed to stay.


I told you that the vice president's residence was not ready when Admiral Aikhomu wanted to move to Abuja in 1991. It is still not ready today. They kept adding things to the complex and it became like a mini Aso Rock Villa. There's supposed to be a banquet hall, swimming pool, etc.

The National Assembly rejected the cost that was presented to it during the Goodluck Jonathan era and that stalled the project. In 2015 or 2016 Vice President Osinbajo said that it was a waste of money and that the Federal Government was not interested in spending money on it. Nothing has been done about it since then.

That is our 5th issue. The Vice President's Residence.


That is the background story behind this thread.


https://www.nairaland.com/7671831/vps-lodge-project-stalled-after

Who said Nigeria is broke

Hahaha 😂😂😂
It's funny and hilarious and amusing that someone will commission his own house!

Sheeee
This people mean us oo

Mtsww. You for say exterior pictures na . I can't understand why they are hiding the general details of a residence that was built with taxpayer's money. If dem like, mek dem eat am. It won't reduce the cost of fufu for Iya Basira shop

Nothing concern me but E dey mind

Nonsense and Ingredients

Sometime in 2012, the escapee suspected Boko Haram kingpin, Kabiru Sokoto, who was re-arrested by the Department of State Service, in the early hours of Friday at an emerging Boko Haram cell in a remote village in Taraba State, was reportedly initially arrested at the Borno State Governor’s lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, alongside a serving military officer.

See loyal wike...

How much is that watch he wears?




Don't forget to marry a virgin woman whenever you're ready to start a family. The world is getting wiser. Nobody wants to spend money on wedding ceremony and reception just to have a woman who another man fvcked with just two eggs and indomie. Even a non virgin girl wouldn't allow her brother to marry a non virgin. Be wise.

These politicians are not ready to sacrifice anything to make Nigeria better but they will be deceiving Nigerians telling Nigerians to Sacrifice.

1 billion no do am, na 1 billion in 21 places jus to renovate a residence. Oya nau.

I saw somewhere where a guy tweeted El Rufai for 2027.

Truly I tell you, Nigerians are the cause/curse of their problems and no one is coming to rescue you all except you all do it yourself.

Before you carry bigotry take respond, I only support a government that makes the country better.

In one year Jagaban has dragged and destroyed the country and it will take us time to recover everything again.

This must end! These are not the leaders we need. Fanfare in the midst of citizens torment.

Nice 👍

commission it, pepper them, make hunger turn their intestine...if dem like make dem no hear word next time.

Built on credit. Apparently. No money dey lol

Whitecoal711:
Sheeee
This people mean us oo

These motherfvkers don't give a hoot.

So Osinbajo was living inside bush before?🤷‍♂️.
Thank God Tilumbu now built vice president residence for Shettima.

It's for their own good cos i don't see how this will benefit the common man on the streets.

False marriage very wired pair Tinubu & Shetima

₦21bn house.

Na wa o

Nigerians,we tolerate too much

Congratulations to you Mr Vice President

Correct.


Local Man is shocked though that the N21B house isn't made of pure uncut Diamonds or Platinum

But waiting on ASSLICKERS UNITED to come tell me, "It's his entitlement" 😁😁😁

naptu2:
More photos

At this rate APC can actually commission Desmond Elliot toilet

So they finally completed this project?