Work has resumed at the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly complex in Uyo, nearly 11 months after lawmakers and staff vacated the rehabilitation facility.
A PREMIUM TIMES reporter, who visited the complex on Wednesday, 23 September, the 39th anniversary of the creation of Akwa Ibom State, observed construction activity going on.
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The development was particularly notable because while the state anniversary was marked with celebrations following the commissioning of 39 projects across the state, the House of Assembly complex remained unusable, leaving the lawmakers who approved the state’s budgets without a functional permanent legislative complex for about 11 months.
Among the observed activities were the moulding of concrete blocks, blockwork in the reception area of the main building, and efforts to restore construction equipment that had remained idle on site.
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The newspaper observed two workers moulding what appeared to be six-inch blocks, while three heaps of granite chippings and two heaps of sand had been delivered to the facility.
PHOTO: Workers moulding blocks at the complex
Workers were also seen adding blocks to a wall in some areas of the building.
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At another section of the entrance, a worker was strengthening a bamboo-stick structure, apparently being prepared for parapet work. Fresh bamboo sticks were also observed nearby.
Three technicians were seen working on a crane that had remained at the facility but had not been in use during PREMIUM TIMES’ previous visits.
The concrete mixer, which was also previously observed lying idle at the facility, was being used by workers during Wednesday’s visit.
Work reportedly resumed on Monday
Some workers told PREMIUM TIMES that preparations for the resumption of work began last weekend after sand, granite chippings, and bamboo sticks were brought to the complex.
They said actual rehabilitation work commenced on Monday.
However, a source familiar with activities at the facility expressed uncertainty over whether the renewed activity would be sustained.
“As of yesterday morning, the last I was aware, the company had not been mobilised for this work. I don’t know what has happened today,” the source said.
“We are afraid that if the company is not mobilised soon, the work may not continue.”
PREMIUM TIMES could not independently verify the claim about the contractor’s mobilisation.
Some of the workers seen at the site, however, wore vests bearing the inscription “CLAD”.
The resumed activity comes after PREMIUM TIMES published a series of reports documenting the prolonged inactivity at the complex and the questions surrounding the project.
₦15.47bn project stalled for months
The Assembly complex had been closed for rehabilitation since lawmakers and staff were directed to vacate the premises in October 2025.
In its 16 June report, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the state had budgeted a combined ₦15.47 billion for the rehabilitation and remodelling of the complex in 2025 and 2026.
The report also found that more than seven months after the relocation of legislative and administrative activities, little visible evidence of substantial work existed at the facility.
A subsequent PREMIUM TIMES report published on 18 August found that the complex remained idle nine months after the relocation, despite substantial budgetary provisions for the project. The newspaper reported that the contractor had previously given a six-month completion timeline, which expired in April 2026.
The August report also highlighted the contrast between the inactivity at the Assembly complex and the construction activities on several major tourism and hospitality projects funded by the state.
Lawmakers had pushed to return
The prolonged delay also created tension over where the legislature should conduct its proceedings.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in June how disagreement over security protocols at the Akwa Ibom Government House disrupted a planned sitting of the House, which had been using temporary venues while the Assembly complex remained under renovation.
Days later, the Speaker, Udeme Otong, suspended his press secretary after a statement announced that the lawmakers would resume plenary at the Assembly complex. On 1 September, Mr Otong’s Press Secretary, Emmanuel Ebong, announced his reinstatement in a Facebook post.
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PREMIUM TIMES subsequently reported that the House Services Committee was expected to provide legislative oversight of the work. At the same time, the state Direct Labour Committee under the executive supervised the actual work.
On 22 August, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Assembly had resolved to return plenary to its main complex despite the stalled renovation.
Pressure ahead of 2027 budget presentation
The latest resumption of work comes as the state approaches the period for presentation of the 2027 budget proposal.
Some lawmakers who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said they were embarrassed by the prolonged closure of the complex and expressed concern that the state’s revenue base did not justify having the legislature effectively displaced for such a long period.
They said lawmakers had informed the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, that they wanted the 2027 budget proposal presented at the Assembly complex.
According to them, it would be embarrassing if the governor arrived at the complex to present the budget while major portions of the facility remained unfinished.
The Akwa Ibom budget calendar provides for the state’s budget process to begin sufficiently early to allow the draft budget to be presented to the House of Assembly before the end of the fiscal year. A state’s standard budget calendar requires the draft budget to be presented to the House at least eight weeks before the end of the year. The Calendar provides October as the deadline.
The state government has yet to publicly explain why work on the Assembly rehabilitation stalled for months or what prompted the latest resumption.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported in June that the project procurement had raised questions, including concerns about the contractor’s corporate history and the lack of publicly available information explaining how the contractor was selected.
The newspaper previously reported that the project is among several major undertakings for which detailed capital expenditure and procurement information has been difficult to establish from publicly available state records independently.
For now, workers are back at the complex, equipment that had remained idle is being put to use, and fresh construction materials have arrived.
Whether the recommenced activity signals a sustained restart of the ₦15.47 billion rehabilitation or another brief intervention remains unclear.
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