Speaker Abbas denies involvement in alleged ₦18.6bn NASC building contract controversy

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has dismissed allegations linking him to the purported mismanagement of ₦18.6 billion allegedly associated with the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) headquarters project.

The allegation, made by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), suggested that the Speaker had questions to answer over funds purportedly tied to the NASC building. However, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Abbas described the claims 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 emphasized that all contractual matters in the National Assembly fall under the administrative bureaucracy, which has its own statutory leadership and procurement processes. He added 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 urged SERAP, the media, and the public to respect institutional boundaries that clearly separate the roles of political leaders from those of administrative bodies within 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 further called for responsible reporting and advised civil society organisations to avoid attributing administrative or procurement decisions to political office holders without proper verification.(Vanguard)