President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to present the 2023 budget estimate to the National Assembly in the first week of next month, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Yesterday.
Gatekeepers News reports that The Speaker was however silent on the modality the budget presentation will take.
Gbajabiamila made this known in response to questions from reporters after inspecting renovation works in the House as well as the temporary chamber that will be used by the lawmakers upon resumption next week
Renovation inside the chamber of the House which is usually used for the joint session was still at preliminary stage by Wednesday, and was without any indication that it will be ready in the next six months.
“This work started in August, a few weeks behind schedule, but for a good reason. So far between August and now, giant strides have been made; you can see the whole chamber has been ripped apart, and the innovations are going to be state-of-the-art.
We will be proud to have a chamber that matches the best standard all over the world; so I am quite impressed with the work so far. I would encourage them to double the pace because, as it is, this is not for the benefit of the 9th Assembly but for the benefit of the 10th Assembly.
The whole chamber isn’t going to be ready until sometime in August next year; so we are talking close to a year, and that tells you the level of work that is going on”. He said.
Gatekeepers News reports that while renovation work is ongoing inside the chamber, members will hold plenary sittings in a temporary chamber, Hearing Room 028 and 231 which has been redesigned to accommodate members.
The Federal Commissioner, National Assembly Service Commission,Bassey Olusegun Etuk, said the project would end the Commission operating from a rented apartment and solve security and proximity challenges for the Assembly
He said the N11.6 billion project is estimated to be completed within 104 weeks, adding, however, that they were working round the clock to ensure that the complex is ready by next April.
