Speaker Abbas Rejects Claims Linking Him to Alleged ₦18.6bn NASC Building Contract

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has denied allegations that he failed to account for a purported ₦18.6 billion associated with the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) headquarters project.

The claims, raised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), suggested that the Speaker had explanations to provide regarding funds allegedly tied to the building project. But in a statement released on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Abbas described the allegations as “factually incorrect and misleading.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Speaker wishes to state unequivocally that he has no involvement, directly or indirectly, in the award, processing, supervision, or payment of any contract within the National Assembly bureaucracy or any of its agencies,” the statement read.

Krishi emphasized that all contract-related matters in the National Assembly are handled strictly within the administrative bureaucracy, which operates under its own statutory leadership and procurement frameworks. He noted that the NASC headquarters project “was conceived, awarded, and contractually executed long before the emergence of the current leadership of the House.”

The Office of the Speaker urged SERAP, the media, and the public to respect institutional boundaries that clearly separate the duties of political leaders from those of administrative authorities.

“Attempts to link the Speaker or the House leadership to such matters are factually incorrect and misleading,” the statement reiterated.

The Speaker’s office further called for responsible public commentary and advised civil society organisations to refrain from assigning administrative or procurement decisions to political officeholders without proper verification.

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