NEWS
N’Assembly insists on N37bn for assembly complex renovation, approves N22.89bn for road repairs,
The National Assembly approved N22.89bn for the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency’s capital expenditure in the 2020 budget.
N24.69bn was budgeted for the agency, which was set up in 2002 with the aim of maintaining the Federal Government’s roads.
FERMA’s budgetary allocations came to the fore on Thursday against the backdrop of poor roads in the country and the National Assembly’s huge N37bn budget for the repair of its complex.
But the House of Representatives on Thursday remained unrepentant and lashed out at the critics of the N37bn allocation for the repair of the National Assembly complex, saying they were uninformed.
An anti-corruption advocacy group, SERAP, condemned the planned renovation of the National Assembly complex with N37bn.
But the House of Representatives dismissed critics of the N37bn allocated for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.
The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Benjamin Kalu, who spoke to one of our correspondents on Thursday, stated that rehabilitation of the building was long overdue.
He said ministries, departments and agencies under the executive arm of the Federal Government budgeted more for such projects without any public outcry.