Senate Stops N4billion First Ladies’ Mission House project

The Senate yesterday Wednesday June 5th dropped the controversial African First Ladies’ Peace Mission House project when it passed the N259.65bn budget of the Federal Capital Territory for the 2013 fiscal year without approving the N4bn appropriated for it.

In February when the budget proposal was brought to the National Assembly, it contained N4bn vote for the construction of the mission house in Abuja, a development that attracted a lot of criticisms from members of the public.

The Senate, during the second reading of the bill, questioned the rationale of committing scarce resources to prosecute a less important structure.

Civil rights groups and political parties had also berated the Federal Capital Territory Administration for budgeting N4bn for the construction of the building for a non-governmental body headed by the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

They had contended that since the Federal Government had earlier declared the mission as a non-governmental organisation, it would be inappropriate for the same government to spend public funds on it.