News
Senate, Reps set to return to main Chambers next month after renovation
***as reconstruction work nears completion
After about 18 months of holding plenaries at temporary chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives will return to their main Hallowed Chambers next month.
Indications to this effect, emerged from the near completion stages the upgraded hallowed chambers are presently, with all the State – of – art furnishings beffiting of the federal lawmakers fixed and sitting terraces extended by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited handling the renovation works.
The Project Engineer of the Construction firm, Tajudeen Olanipekun, told journalists covering the Senate last week in telephone conversation that the finishing stages of work are speedily being carried out with required expertise and precision for practical transformation of the entire ambience of the space in and around the Hallowed Chambers towards project delivery next month
Engineer Olanipekun’s assurance on delivery of the fully transformed Hallowed Chambers to management of the National Assembly, coincided with the call by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, to the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Sani Magaji Tambawal that both the Senate and the House of Representatives, are eager to move to their main chambers as soon as possible .
Akpabio’s subtle marching order to the CNA on delivery of the main Hallowed Chambers to both the Senate and the House of Representatives was given on Tuesday last week, during his interactive session with journalists covering the Senate which was attended by the CNA and other top management staff of the National Assembly.
“Please impress it on contractor handling the project to be more speedily on renovation works at both Chambers as the temporary chambers being used since 2022, are not befitting for hosting of visitors from outside the country “, he said .
For on the spot assessment of the projects, some of the journalists covering the Senate , made facts finding visitations to both Chambers under renovation on Friday last week, where they saw , fully transformed , upgraded and reconfigured hallowed chambers, measuring up to global standards.
Recall that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in March 2021 awarded a N30 billion renovation contract to Visible Construction Limited to rehabilitate critical segments of the National Assembly complex, which are almost completed now.
Some of the critical segments are the office buildings housing the office accommodation for the Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, watertightness of the roof of the complex , the cooling system, replacement of lifts that are inoperable in the White House as well as in the House of Representatives and in the new Senate Wing etc.
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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