Senate President Godswill Akpabio has warned that the National Assembly may take legal action against the contractor responsible for renovating its chambers following persistent technical issues with the microphones used during legislative proceedings.
Akpabio made the remark on Wednesday during plenary after several senators encountered difficulties using the audio system while making contributions.
Visibly displeased by the repeated disruptions, the Senate President said the situation had become unacceptable and was tarnishing the image of the legislature.
“Distinguished colleagues, I hope you are taking note of the fact that our microphones are not working well. You are taking note of it because I intend to take action,” he said.
Akpabio disclosed that he had experienced a similar problem a day earlier while attending the opening ceremony of the National Assembly Week at the House of Representatives.
According to him, the contractor that renovated the Senate chamber also carried out the upgrade of the House chamber, where similar technical faults were recorded.
“I was in the House of Representatives yesterday to represent you at the opening of the National Assembly Week and, in the course of it, the Speaker and I were thoroughly embarrassed. The same contractor that handled the renovation of the House of Representatives handled this one,” he stated.
The Senate President said the continued malfunction of the equipment could compel the National Assembly to pursue legal remedies if the contractor fails to address the defects.
“If this continues, we have steps we can take legally to ensure that a good job is done because this is an embarrassment to our nation,” Akpabio said.
He also urged lawmakers to pay attention to the recurring problems, noting that any future action taken against the contractor would be based on the repeated failures witnessed during plenary sessions.
“I hope you are taking note of it so that when they go to social media to start complaining after we have taken action, you will know why we took the action. You are all witnessing what is going on now,” he added.