Once upon a N2.2bn banquet hall

Of the numerous challenges facing the country and begging for urgent attention, the Federal Government in 2012 chose to focus on a non-pressing matter by awarding a N2.2bn contract for the building of a new banquet hall in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed, announced that the Federal Executive Council approved the contract sum during its meeting held on November 28. Wikipedia defines a banquet hall as a room or building for the purpose of hosting a party, reception, or other social events. The hall would be built in addition to an existing hall in the Villa, where national events are held. The proposed 150-capacity hall would have walk ways, security post, hall, conveniences, technical and press briefing rooms “that are more and more enhanced, so that national broadcast can be done from there,” said the minister. Defending the expenditure, Muhammed told State House correspondents that the council awarded the contract because smaller countries had befitting banquet halls in their seats of power. He said, “The second project approved by council is the building of a 150-seater banquet hall in the Presidential Villa. “We noticed that it (existing hall) is inconveniencing; it is not in tandem with what is outside the country. Even smaller countries have better banquet halls near their Presidential residences. “The contract was awarded in the sum of N2.2bn to Julius Berger because they are more familiar with the terrain in the Presidential Villa and for security reasons.” Reacting to the news, the defunct opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria and the Transition Monitoring Group criticised the government for not getting its priorities right. The then National Publicity Secretary, ACN (now All Progressives Congress), Lai Mohammed, had said, “It is interesting that a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is comparing the country with smaller countries when it comes to justifying a project that will only benefit a few elite. Does the minister know that the citizens of the so-called smaller countries enjoy uninterrupted electricity supply?” Similarly, Chairman, TMG, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, had said it was imperative for the government to be more concerned with poverty alleviation and citizen empowerment, rather than be bothered with “trivial matters like the proposed multi-billion naira budget for the completion of the vice-president’s lodge and another presidential banquet hall.” He added, “It is saddening and pathetic to see the way and manner public funds are being wasted under President Jonathan administration. We, therefore, call on President Jonathan to be methodological in his fight against corruption by coming up with strategies that will bring about lasting solutions to the plethora of insecurity, as witnessed in recent times in Nigeria.” The banquet hall contract is one of the numerous jaw-breaking contracts awarded by the FEC for diverse projects almost every week, be they necessary or not. For instance, the information The PUNCH obtained from the website of the Bureau of Public Procurement, as published in the December 31, 2012 edition, showed that the Federal Government awarded contracts worth about N1.187tn between August 10, 2011 and November 28, 2012. The figure represented the total value of over 140 contracts spread across various sectors of the economy. A breakdown of the contracts showed that between August 10 and February 15, the FG awarded contracts worth N700bn; while in the months from May 30 to November 28, it awarded contracts in excess of N400bn. Apparently worried by what many see as a waste of national resources, the Senate had, in February 2012, questioned the legality of such contracts. It described the FEC’s action as a “sheer illegality.” The upper legislative chamber alleged that the council had usurped the powers of the National Council on Public Procurement Act 2007. Faulting the boycott of the NCPP, the Senate President, David Mark, had said, “there is sheer illegality here and the earlier it is corrected, the better for everybody.” Observers have said the problem is not just about the irrational awards of the contracts but the inflation and abuse of contracts, slow pace of implementation and eventual abandonment of some of them. The Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Dr. Bright Okogu, had also expressed concerns about abandoned projects, scarcity of funds and contract abuses by Ministries, Departments and Agencies. He had hinted that new projects might be outlawed in the 2013 budget. However, more multi-billion naira contracts are still being awarded regularly.