FCTA Makes U-Turn Over Plan Demolition Of Senate President, Speaker’s Official Residence

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has denied plans to demolish the official residences of the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), Eng. Ahmed Hadi, said this when he appeared before the House of Representatives adhoc committee investigating the real estate sector in the FCT on Tuesday.

Hadi insisted that the official residences of the President of Senate and the Speaker didn’t in any way contravene the Abuja Master plan.

He also said due diligence had been done in every bit of the process for the construction of the structures.

According to him: “We want to use this forum to reach out to the leadership of the National Assembly that there was no intention to raise the issue or embarrass the offices of the President of Senate nor the Speaker or the Deputy Senate President.”

“The issue is not a conclusive position and we have not reached a climax of the forum.

“That is not the position of the FCTA and certainly not the position of this investigative workshop. I’m not mincing words to say that everything that we agree here we will crosscheck with our records has been done”.

He said the development within the three arms zone was intended to house the legislature, executive and judiciary.

Hadi said: “On the side of the judiciary is the Supreme Court and the official residence of the Chief Justice of the Federation.

“Somewhere along the line, the legislative arm which occupies the largest complex has no provision of the residences of the presiding or principal officers.

“And this was what made the case between the period 2014 there were armful correspondences between the FCDA and the department of Development Control and after due consultation with the leadership of the national assembly that this was what is needed to have residential provision within the three arms zone so that it will become complimentary”.