The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, has expressed his disappointment and frustration with the recently renovated Senate Chamber, describing the work as below par.
News About Nigeria reports that under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, Ndume raised several issues with the Chamber’s renovation, including a poor sound system, inadequate seating arrangements, and the lack of voting devices.
Ndume, who described the Chamber as a “conference hall,” stated that there have been complaints about the renovation work since the Senate moved into the Chamber last week Tuesday.
He said, “Since day one, precisely last week Tuesday, when we moved into this chamber that was supposed to have been renovated, there have been complaints here and there.”
He said the issues needed to be addressed urgently to ensure the smooth functioning of the Senate.
In response, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, explained that the contract for the renovation work was not awarded by the 10th National Assembly and that 99.9% of the complaints about seating arrangements among Senators have been resolved.
Recall that last week, after a six-week recess, the senators resumed in the newly renovated chamber, which opened over two years after reconstruction began.
The Senate adjourned plenary till May 7 (today) to facilitate further refurbishment of its chamber.
In a separate development, the Senate has passed a bill for second reading that seeks to repeal the Revenue, Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission Act, Cap R7, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and enact a new Revenue, Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission to grant the Commission enforcement powers in monitoring accruals to and disbursement of revenue from the federation account.
The bill aims to bring the Act into conformity with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
Although the bill was passed, the lawmakers agreed to revisit it after a careful re-assessment of its provisions.
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Finance, Appropriations, and Economic and Financial Planning to report back in four weeks.
