The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has criticised the contractor who handled the renovation of the Senate Chamber.
In March 2021, The Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA, had awarded a N37billion contract for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.
But speaking on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, Mr Ndume, who represents Borno South, said the renovation was poorly done.
Raising the issues through Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, the lawmaker likened the red chamber to a “conference room”.
“Mr President, I rise to make disturbing observations on this supposedly renovated chamber through order 42 that deals with personal privileges.
“Since day one, precisely last week Tuesday, when we moved into this chamber that supposed to have been renovated, there have been complaints here and there.
“First was on sitting arrangements, followed by the echoing of voices by microphones that are even not audible. No voting device, required facilities not yet provided.
“This is not a chamber, it is like a conference room,” he said.
“You will not even know that it is me, Ndume, that is speaking, so also when the leader was speaking.
“We need to correct this. We need to change so many things. Like the sitting row, if you want to stand up, you will have to use tactics or strategy to stand up or sit down.
“If we are to vote electronically, the facilities are not there, but we had that previously.
“There is no clock here for Senators to see the time. Okay, they are trying to show me and I am looking for it, it is not even clear. There used to be a big one.
“This is a serious observation. If you play back the record, you cannot identify Akpabio’s voice, you have to listen hard, but the audio is supposed to be very clear,” he added.
In his response, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the observations were well noted and the point of order was upheld.
He said: “This is not our contract and not even National Assembly contract but that of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), the landlord of the National Assembly complex.
“Observations on inadequacies in the renovated chamber are welcome from time to time for required perfection but what we should be aiming at in the long run, is for us, as federal lawmakers, to have proper autonomy on the National Assembly complex and not continue as tenants of FCDA.”
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