President Bola Tinubu has commissioned the Vice President’s official residence, a project plagued by inadequate funding since 2010.
During the ceremony on Friday, Tinubu emphasized his administration’s focus on fulfilling promises to Nigerians rather than dwelling on past administrations’ shortcomings.
The President reiterated his commitment to prudent utilization of the nation’s resources, highlighting the wastefulness of abandoning projects after significant investments have been made.
He pledged to uphold accountability, transparency, and good governance, assuring Nigerians that the government would continue to prioritize their well-being and work towards building a nation they can take pride in.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing Tinubu, said, “As we commission this state-of-the-art edifice, the official residence of the Vice President of Nigeria, we are fulfilling a long-standing commitment and unwavering dedication to accountability, transparency and efficient utilization of resources for the betterment of our Nation.
“I hold a very strong opinion that abandoning projects after substantial expenditure has been incurred is inherently wasteful, and it is in the best interest of the government and the public to see them to completion. Rather than dwell on past shortcomings, we have chosen to seize this opportunity to demonstrate our resolve to confront obstacles head-on and deliver on the promises made to the Nigerian people in line with our Renewed Hope Agenda,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu also expressed gratitude to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration for their role in completing the Vice President’s residence within his first year in office.
Speaking personally, Vice President Shettima praised the completion of the project as a testament to President Tinubu’s respect for the Vice President’s office and his commitment to providing the necessary tools for efficient governance.
“The Office of the Vice President is the most derided, the most sensitive of positions, but we have to give it to Mr. President (Tinubu), he treats me with absolute decorum, respect, and inclusivity. We have seen how Vice Presidents were treated in the past; this present dispensation is a different ball game,” Shettima said.
FCT Minister, Wike revealed that the Vice President’s official residence, initially awarded in 2010 at a cost of N7 billion and abandoned in 2015, was reviewed and completed under Tinubu’s administration with world-class facilities.
Wike stressed the importance of environment in driving productivity and efficiency, attributing the project’s completion to the President’s directive.
“When we came on board 21st of August 2023, if you were here, it was bush. And I went to Mr. President and said, how can we allow the Vice President’s residence to get this bad. Look at, criminals have taken over the place, we are talking about fighting criminals and Mr. President said, go and make sure that the project is completed. Mr. President has come within a year, he made it a reality. May God continue to bless Bola Ahmed Tinubu for knowing that if you don’t stay in a good environment, you can’t put in your best. Environment affects productivity, the environment affects efficiency by the time you go in here and see what is provided, I am sure, Mr. Vice President will be more encouraged to do more work than where he stays now,” Wike said.
The minister also urged the company responsible for street lights to fulfill their duties, emphasizing that the FCTA would not tolerate the city being in darkness.
Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Shehu Ahmad Hadi, detailed the extensive scope of work on the residence, including 15 blocks, places of worship, standby power house, water treatment facilities, and garages.
The new Vice President’s residence, located near the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, features offices for the Vice President’s wife, a mosque, a chapel, and recreational facilities, marking it as the eighth critical FCT project inaugurated by President Tinubu in his first year.
