Senators, Reps to relocate to main chambers next month

As construction works are almost complete in the main hallowed chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives after about one and half years, lawmakers in both chambers are set to vacate the present temporary chambers and relocate back “home” next month.

Indications to this effect, emerged from the near completion stages, which the upgraded and reconfigured hallowed chambers are presently, with all the state-of-art chairs for the federal lawmakers already fixed and sitting terraces extended by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited handling the renovation works.

The Project Engineer of the construction firm, Tajudeen Olanipekun, informed journalists covering the Senate last week 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.

Olanipekun’s assurance on delivery of the fully transformed and reconfigured hallowed chambers to management of the National Assembly, coincided with call by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, to the Clerk to the National Assembly, CNA, Alhaji Sani Tambawal that both the Senate and the House of Representatives want to move to their main chambers as soon as possible.

The Senate President’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.

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“Please impress it on contractor handling the project to be more speedy 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) awarded a N30billion 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 .