Chidi Samuel
Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Acting Nigeria’s President has distanced himself from the controversial N250 earmarked for an iron gate at the proposed resident of the Vice President saying that he has at various times informed Nigerians that his current official residence is good enough for him.
In a statement on Sunday said, Laolu Akande, the media aide to the Vice President, said that the Buhari administration did not include the project in either the 2016 Appropriation Act or the 2017 proposed budget.
According to Akande, the plan to build a new official residence for the occupant of the Office of the Vice President, including the controversial gatehouse preceded President Buhari’s administration.
Part of the statement read, “The project which started in 2010, was initiated and funded by the immediate past administration, but had never featured in the two budget proposals of the Buhari administration: neither in the 2016 nor the 2017 spending plans.
‘Any suggestion therefore that this project benefits our administration or that it reflects our spending style or preferences is not only misleading but blatantly false.
“Besides, the incumbent Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said publicly that he considers Aguda House, which he currently occupies, a befitting official residence for the Vice President and sufficient for his needs.
“While the project is now about 85% complete, the Federal Government, in the circumstances, will decide at the appropriate time what is the best use for the 14 buildings already on the project site,” Akande stated.