After 19 months of holding plenaries at temporary Chambers, both the Senate and the House of Representatives, are returning to their main Hallowed Chambers on Tuesday next week.
Members of the House of Representatives and Senators are set to resume plenary sittings in their main Chambers next week on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
OrderPaper recalls that a contract worth N37 billion was given to Visible Construction Limited and a few other companies by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in March 2021 for the construction of a library, the rehabilitation of some parts of the National Assembly complex, the establishment of a permanent location for the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), and other projects.
Some crucial sections were given to Visible Construction Company for rehabilitation, including the buildings that house the Senate’s and the House of Representatives offices; the complex’s roof’s waterproofness; the cooling system; and the replacement of the House of Representatives and the White House’s broken lifts, among other things.
In July 2022, Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited began refurbishment work on the Houses’ Hallowed Chambers, and in September of the same year, both Houses relocated to temporary chambers. From that moment onward, the National Assembly’s two large halls on either side have served as the lawmakers’ temporary chambers.
READ ALSO: NASS Complex Renovation: Contractor reacts to report of roof leakages
Last week, the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs Chairman, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr., confirmed the scheduled transfer to the main chamber in a written communication sent to 359 other members of the House of Representatives.
The official announcement dated April 4, 2024, stated that the postponement was due to the members’ general intention to resume plenary in the remodelled and restructured main chamber.
The Spokesman in the announcement said, “The House of Representatives wishes to inform the public and stakeholders of the rescheduling of the resumption date from the ongoing recess, originally slated for Tuesday, April 16, 2024, to Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
“This adjustment is necessary to accommodate the completion of renovations to the main chamber of the House of Representatives to ensure its readiness for plenary sessions, henceforth.”
The Senate’s Clerk, Barrister Chinedu Akabueze, also made a statement two days later, delaying the Senate’s plenary session from April 16, 2024, to April 23, 2024.
The statement read in part: “Distinguished Senators are hereby invited to note that the resumption of the plenary sitting of the Senate, which was scheduled for Tuesday, 16th April 2024, has been postponed to Tuesday 23rd April 2024.”
Before the project’s completion, Visible Construction’s site engineer, Tajudeen Olanipekun, told Senate reporters early last month that the Senate and the House of Representatives would be able to use the two major chambers in April of this year.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, called the Clerk of the National Assembly (CNA), Alhaji Sani Magaji Tambawal, to convey that the House of Representatives and the Senate wanted to relocate to their main chambers as soon as possible after nearly two years of using temporary ones. This coincided with Engineer Olanipekun‘s assurance that the management of the National Assembly would receive the fully transformed and reconfigured Hallowed Chambers.
The construction company has finished renovating and rearranged both chambers with state-of-the-art chairs, legislative equipment, appliances, and additional seating terraces during the last five weeks in compliance with the subtle marching order.
