President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday inspected the new headquarters building of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and said he will continue to support efforts to build and strengthen the nation’s institutions irrespective of any differences.
Saraki who spoke to journalists after a tour of the edifice, in Abuja, said he was particularly impressed by the quality of work done and the fact the the building was designed by a Nigerian architect.
He said he is duty bound to visit the completed project as part of his oversight functions in view of the contributions of the National Assembly to its realization.
He said that the nation must continue to build institutions as well as strengthen existing ones to realize its dream of becoming a great democratic country.
On the import of his visit to the project site, Saraki said: “I think the most important thing as far as we are concerned is that I have always said that we must always continue to build institutions and that is what is important and we must continue to support in building these institutions.
“If we are going to build a better society in our country, one of the main things we must tackle is the issue of corruption and how we can do that is by strengthening these institutions.
“My presence here is to say that whatever we do in our job, the most important thing is that we all represent institutions and we must work and see that it is in the interest of the country.
“So my presence here is, after a building like this where the National Assembly has played a great role, it must be my responsibility to see how the money was spent and I can see that that has been done properly and we should continue to work together to see that that goes well for the entire country.
“If you look at most projects in Abuja, I don’t think any project like this has been well-funded and that shows that despite all the noise you will hear, the National Assembly has supported where it matters because this is where it matters and I think we have done that.
“If you look at what has been achieved in the last two and half years in putting this building up and bringing it to completion, I think it is a remarkable achievement,” he said.
He added: “I have a responsibility and a role as the head of the legislature. I have responsibility and my responsibility is beyond whatever issues. You see, you guys in the media like to hype things. The most important thing is that we must always do the right thing.
“We might disagree on what those right things are but at the end of the, we must ensure that we build institutions, we support institutions and do what is right and we must continue to do that.
“Unfortunately, I will not be here on Tuesday because I will be sitting and that is why I said I must come and see it. A project as huge as this that the National Assembly has supported is worth seeing.”
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