Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, May 8, inspected the new headquarters building of the 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 facility, 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.”

The Senate President said he paid a visit to the facility because he will be engaged officially next week when the edifice will be officially opened.

He described the building as impressive and commendable especially the fact that it was designed by an indigenous architect.

He said: “I must say that I am very impressed. Very commendable structure, I like the fact that the architect is local; Nigerian and the quality of work done by Julius Berger is very impressive and it is a building that we should be proud of.

“I think it goes to show the importance of institutional building, making institutions stronger and it makes institutions stronger. So, it is very impressive.

“The details and planning is very commendable. I would commend all those who have worked towards the actualization of the structure.

“From those who started it to the builder. Let me also commend members of the National Assembly that provided the funding to make it a reality. I am very impressed. It is well kept secret but it is very good.

“Having a Nigerian that designed this, the details are very impressive – the clinic and all the facilities – and the fact that it has gone through three different administrations; and the fact that the National Assembly has played its role and brought it to completion, I think that it is a lot of plus.”

Meanwhile, the Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has commended Saraki, on his commitment towards ensuring that Nigeria’s primary healthcare system is strengthened by the inclusion of one per cent of the country’s Consolidated Revenue Fund is used to provide basic primary healthcare services across the nation.

Dr. Ghebreyesus, in a tweet on his personal Twitter handle, @DrTedros, also stated that political will is needed to provide universal healthcare coverage.

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