Tinubu inaugurates VP’s residence, promises impactful projects

President Bola Tinubu on Friday inaugurated the official residence of the Vice President, which was commissioned in 2010.

Tinubu said his administration is committed to delivering on the promises made to Nigerians, rather than dwell on the failures of past administrations.

The President pledged to always ensure that the nation’s resources were prudently utilized.

The president believed that abandoning projects after spending a substantial amount of money, was equal to wasting taxpayers’ money without completing such projects.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian government to the principles of accountability, transparency, and good governance.

Represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shetttima, Tinubu said, “As we commission this state-of-the-heart 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 have 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 also thanked the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the FCT Administration for making the completion of the VP’s official residence a reality within his one year in office.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike disclosed that the Vice President’s official residence was awarded in 2010, 14 years ago at the cost of N7bn, but was abandoned in 2015. He said it was later reviewed by Tinubu’s administration in January 2024.

According to Wike, the environment drives productivity, hence the FCT Administration with the approval of Mr. President committed the required resources to complete the project.

“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,

Earlier, the Executive Secretary FCDA, Shehu Ahmad Hadi, who noted that the building was one of the projects that was abandoned, explained that the scope of work in the building involves 15 units of blocks, a place of worship- mosque and chapel, standby power house, water treatment among others.

“The main building, a provision for an office for the second lady and the residence for the ADC and CSO, places of worship; a mosque and a chapel, as well as other domestic staff quarters. There are also utility facilities for standby powerhouses, water treatment, and of course, garages for car parking for the public and the VIPs. There are also provisions for recreational facilities.”