SERAP Demands Accountability for Missing ₦18.6 Billion NASS Office Complex Funds

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has challenged the leadership of the National Assembly—Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas—to immediately account for a missing ₦18.6 billion.

This substantial sum was allegedly meant for the construction of the National Assembly Commission Office Complex, as documented in the alarming findings of the 2022 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which was published on September 9, 2025.

SERAP warned that these grim allegations suggest “grave violations of the public trust, the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), and national and international anticorruption obligations.”

The anti-graft group laid out specific demands to ensure transparency and accountability. Central to their request is the disclosure of the alleged ‘fictitious construction company’ that collected the ₦18.6 billion.

SERAP urged Akpabio and Abbas to publicly release the company’s name, along with the names and details of its directors, shareholders, and its physical address. Furthermore, the organization charged the National Assembly leaders to explain the wholesale failure to adhere to the Procurement Act.

This failure includes the alleged omission of a needs assessment before the contract award, the lack of public advertisement and bidding, the absence of a contract agreement, and the issuance of payments without bidders’ quotations.

In addition to the procurement breaches, SERAP demanded an explanation for the reported ‘inflation of the contract by ₦6.9 billion for the conversion of the roof garden to office space.’

The organization questioned the rationale behind this cost increase, the lack of official approval for the upward review, and requested a full disclosure of the current implementation status of the project. SERAP emphasized that addressing these allegations is critical for the National Assembly to demonstrate a commitment to integrity and to regain public confidence in its constitutional oversight and anti-corruption responsibilities.

SERAP concluded its letter, dated October 18, 2025, by issuing a seven-day ultimatum. The organization stated that if the National Assembly fails to take the recommended measures—which include explaining the whereabouts of the funds and publishing the details of the contractor—SERAP will “take all appropriate legal actions to compel” compliance with their request in the public interest.