Senate President Godswill Akpabio has threatened to take legal action against the contractor responsible for renovating the National Assembly complex over the faulty microphones in both the Senate and House of Representatives chambers.
Akpabio made the remark during Wednesday’s plenary after several senators experienced difficulties using their microphones while contributing to debates.
Expressing frustration over the recurring problem, the Senate President said the faulty equipment had become an embarrassment to the National Assembly and the country.
“Distinguished colleagues, I hope you are taking note of the fact that our microphones are not working well. You are taking note of it because I intend to take action,” he said.
Akpabio recalled that he faced a similar situation while representing the Senate at the opening of the National Assembly Week in the House of Representatives.
“I was in the House of Representatives yesterday to represent you at the opening of the National Assembly Week and, in the course of it, the Speaker and I were thoroughly embarrassed. The same contractor that handled the renovation of the House of Representatives handled this one,” he said.
He warned that if the technical problems continue, the National Assembly would consider legal steps to ensure the contractor is held accountable.
“If this continues, we have steps we can take legally to ensure that a good job is done because this is an embarrassment to our nation,” Akpabio stated.
The Senate President also urged lawmakers to take note of the repeated failures, saying the evidence would justify any action taken against the contractor.
“I hope you are taking note of it so that when they go to social media to start complaining after we have taken action, you will know why we took the action. You are all witnessing what is going on now,” he added.
