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Secrets behind Sambo’s N16 billion Home

By on December 24, 2012

Some weeks ago, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Adamu Ismail brought forward a request to the lawmakers, demanding for additional N9bn to complete the Vice President’s residence.

The Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) refused to approve the additional N9bn expenditure budgeted for the Vice President Sambo’s residence under construction.

Ismail could not give sufficient reasons for such addition, the matter remained stagnant, and the demand was refused by the senate. However, facts have begun to emerge on the issue.

According to the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Senator Domingo Obende who spoke to reporters on the issue said, the extra cash is needed to make the quarters suit Sambo’s culture and religion.

Senator Obende said a Julius Berger engineer handling the project gave them the detailed reasons for the extra cash.

The engineer told the committee that the original plan was for then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan but when Sambo became VP, everything had to be changed to suit his culture and religion.

Responding to the question on what the extra N9 billion being sought by Julius Berger was meant for he said, “I like being factual and I like addressing issues the way I understand them and in the perspective that I believe will throw light at a situation.

“I recall one of Julius Berger engineers saying, ‘well the design of this building was made to accommodate a vice president but now we have another vice president whose culture and religion are different from the intended user or end user of the building.

“I remember asking him what are you talking about. When you are designing a vice president’s residence there must be a standard.

“You don’t know who is going to be there.

“It could even be a handicapped person that will occupy the building.

“So you have to make provision for that.

“In other words, the design must be functional such that even a disabled person will be able to live there comfortably and without any amendment.

“Because you now have a vice president whose culture, tradition and religion are different you are re-designing, adding some other features costing you as much as N9 billion when the original contract sum is N7 billion.

“The size of the land has not changed. I really don’t understand what kind of private structure on a land that is less than 20,000 square metres will take about N16.5 billion to complete.”

Obende said Nigeria’s money must not be mismanaged but used judiciously to cater for the needs of the people, he said the committee’s Chairman, Senator Smart Adeyemi, was bitter about the increase in the budget for the house.

He said,  “My chairman was very bitter about this issue.

“I made my observations. We are discussing with them.

“Yes we know because of the long period of the job there could be need for variation and if there are additions but this must be commensurate with the original contract sum.

“Not a variation being more than the original contract sum, it is unacceptable.

“We understand that he is the vice president of this country, his security is paramount.

“Nobody wants the security of his vice president compromised but that money for security is too much.”

The committee, Obende said, had requested for specifics to know how much has been spent and how much will be committed to the project, all specifics.

“These are the things we have asked for and until that is done substantial work cannot continue on that structure.”

Obende added, “So I can assure Nigerians that with the kind of chairman, we have in FCT Committee and me also as vice chairman who understands the indices of such structure, I think that we will be able to look at the situation and we will not lose our money to contractors who may be doing the right thing at the wrong time.

“We want contractors that will do the right thing at the right time so that Nigeria’s money will be used judiciously.”

Earlier the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Adamu Ismail told the lawmakers that the contract was awarded in 2009 for N7bn.

Adding, he said the additional N9bn needed was for furniture, fencing, two more protocol guesthouses, a banquet hall and security gadgets.

While explaining, Ismail said, the proposal was not contained in the original plan submitted to the contractor, Julius Berger Nig. Ltd.

Adeyemi said, “The National Assembly is not going to appropriate additional N9billion for the project, especially at a period in this country when people cannot get three square meals.

“The N9billion is far more than the original cost of the project.”

One Comment

  1. princewill

    December 24, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    this is how you people throw Nigeria money in the name of building house for VP while so many Nigerians are dying in starvation and sickness,fuck all of you.