National Assembly roofs leak under heavy rainfall

As senators resumed plenary after one week recess to mark their two years anniversary, persistent heavy rainfall broken many parts of the National Assembly roofs built about 30 years ago, thus causing minor flood in the central lobby of the complex.

The Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan entered the chambers at exactly 11.00 to preside over the plenary attended by many senators.

Apart from the lobby, other parts seriously affected include the Senate Press Centre and the United Bank of Africa, UBA which were filled with water from the leaking roofs.

Staffers of the Thyaura company, official cleaners in the National Assembly battled to clean and control the water as the intensity of the rainfall increases.

Senators, staff members and visitors were forced to wait at the lobby for many minutes before proceeding to the chamber, their offices and destinations as more cleaners were called to join their colleagues in controlling and cleaning the water.

Signsthat the building constructed by Arab Contractors during the late General Sanni Abacha’s military regime, requires urgent rehabilitation have been showing at different segments of the structure within the last 10 years.

The federal government in an attempt to address the ugly trend, earmarked the sum of N37 billion for renovation of the complex in the 2020 budget.

But public outcry against the money considered to be bogus by some concerned Nigerians made the federal government to cut it to N18billion during the review of the 2020 budget, caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

It is however not clear whether the N18billion was given 100 percent cash backing in the implementation of the 2020 budget.

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Efforts made to speak to the Clerk of the National Assembly, CNA, Mr. Amos Ojo Olatunde , proved abortive as at the time of filling this report.