Nearly two years after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) under Nyesom Wike completed and handed over the official residence built for Vice President Kashim Shettima, he is yet to relocate to the facility.
The development has raised questions over the utilisation of the multi-billion-naira project which was commissioned by President Bola Tinubu on June 7, 2024.
The residence, located within Abuja’s Three Arms Zone, was originally awarded in 2010 at the cost of N7 billion but was abandoned for several years before the project was revived and completed under the FCT Administration.
The final cost of the project has been reported at about N21 billion, although figures have varied depending on whether the original contract and subsequent expenditures are included.
At the commissioning, the president said completing inherited project was part of his administration’s efforts to prevent the waste of public resources.
Despite the commissioning, however, Shettima has continued to use the Akinola Aguda House within the Presidential Complex as his official residence.
Reports indicate that the new facility has remained largely unused for residential purposes since its commissioning, with security concerns said to be among the reasons for the delay in the vice president’s relocation.
However, there has been no detailed public statement from the Presidency identifying the specific security concerns preventing the vice president from taking possession of the building.
The situation has consequently generated questions about the status of the facility, particularly after billions of naira was expended to complete a project that was specifically intended to serve as the official residence of the vice president.
The FCTA had previously indicated that its responsibility for the project was completed and that the facility was handed over to the appropriate authorities after its commissioning.
The non-utilisation of the residence has also been linked on social media to claims that the vice president had moved into the building and subsequently left after allegedly discovering hidden closed-circuit television cameras.
However, there is no credible evidence that Shettima ever occupied the residence and later moved out because of such surveillance equipment.
The vice president’s spokesman had dismissed the claim, maintaining that Shettima remained at Akinola Aguda House.
The controversy therefore does not explain the central issue — why the vice president has not moved into the residence since it was commissioned more than two years ago.
The residence was initiated during the administration of former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and awarded in 2010. It subsequently passed through several administrations before being completed under Wike.
The project became one of the major works undertaken by the FCT Administration after Wike assumed office as minister, with the completion presented as part of efforts to finish abandoned projects in the capital.
However, the continued non-occupation has now raised fresh questions over whether additional security, structural or operational requirements remain outstanding.
Among the questions requiring clarification are whether the facility has undergone all necessary security assessments, whether it has been formally certified for residential occupation, whether additional modifications are required and why the Vice President continues to reside elsewhere.
The issue also raises questions about the continued cost of securing and maintaining a facility that has not yet been put to its intended residential use.
The Presidency is yet to give a comprehensive public explanation for the prolonged delay in Shettima’s relocation.
For a project that reportedly gulped about N21 billion, the unanswered questions surrounding its non-occupation are likely to continue to attract public scrutiny.
