The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, denied claims of mismanagement of ₦18.6 billion for the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) headquarters project.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) said that the Speaker had questions to answer over monies allegedly related to the NASC construction.
However, in a statement made on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Abbas characterized the allegations as “factually incorrect and misleading.”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Speaker wishes to state unequivocally that he has no involvement, directly or indirectly, in the award, processing, supervision, or payment of any contract within the National Assembly bureaucracy or any of its agencies,” the statement read.
Krishi noted that all contractual matters in the National Assembly are handled by the administrative bureaucracy, which has its own statutory leadership and procurement processes.
He further stated that the NASC headquarters project “was conceived, awarded, and contractually executed long before the emergence of the current leadership of the House.”
The Speaker’s office asked SERAP, the media, and the public to respect institutional limits that clearly distinguish the duties of political leaders and administrative bodies in the National Assembly.
“Attempts to link the Speaker or the House leadership to such matters are factually incorrect and misleading,” the statement reiterated.
The office also advocated for responsible reporting and recommended civil society organizations avoid attributing administrative or procurement decisions to political office holders without appropriate proof.
