Nearly two years after the FCTA completed and handed over an official residence built for Vice President Kashim Shettima, he has not moved in. The building was commissioned by President Bola Tinubu on June 7, 2024.
The final cost of the project has been reported at about N21 billion, although figures have varied depending on whether the original contract and subsequent expenditures are included.
FCT Minister Nyesom Wike confirmed the contract was reviewed to N22 billion in January 2024, leading to its completion 14 years after commencement. The upward revision reflected the accumulated costs of restarting and finishing a project that had sat dormant across multiple administrations.
The residence, located within Abuja’s Three Arms Zone, was originally awarded in 2010 at the cost of N7 billion but was abandoned for several years before it was revived and completed under the FCT Administration.
At the commissioning, the president said completing the inherited project was part of his administration’s efforts to prevent the waste of public resources. That message now sits awkwardly against the fact that the building itself remains empty.
The vice president’s spokesman dismissed social media claims about the residence, maintaining that Shettima remained at Akinola Aguda House, the traditional VP quarters inside the Presidential Complex, where Nigerian vice presidents have resided for years.
There is no evidence that Vice President Shettima ever moved into the newly renovated official residence, let alone that he relocated due to secret CCTV installations.
Available reports confirm that he had not occupied the building, and no credible source has verified the claim circulating.
The controversy does not explain the central issue: why the vice president has not moved into the residence since it was commissioned more than two years ago.
The residence was initiated during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and awarded in 2010. It subsequently passed through several administrations, including those of Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan’s successor, before being completed under Wike.
Security concerns have been mentioned informally as a reason for the delay. However, there is no credible evidence that Shettima ever occupied the residence and later moved out because of surveillance equipment. No formal explanation has been offered.
The presidency is yet to give a comprehensive public explanation for the prolonged delay in Shettima’s relocation. No statement has identified the specific concerns preventing the vice president from taking possession.
The project became one of the major works undertaken by the FCT Administration after Wike assumed office as minister, with the completion presented as part of efforts to finish abandoned projects in the capital. The continued non-occupation undermines that framing.
Among the outstanding questions, according to Leadership, are whether the facility has undergone all necessary security assessments, whether it has been formally certified for residential occupation, whether additional modifications are required, and why the vice president continues to reside elsewhere.
The federal government also earmarked N1.07 billion in the 2026 budget for the renovation of the official residences of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima, allocations that raise additional questions about spending on properties that include a building sitting unused.
The federal government set aside N300 million for the renovation of the vice president’s quarters at the State House in 2024, followed by N466 million in 2025 and N326.8 million in the current fiscal year. Those are separate votes on top of the N22 billion already spent on a facility the vice president has yet to occupy.
The building commissioned to end years of wasteful abandonment is now the subject of fresh questions about the VP’s residence and whether Nigeria’s public funds have, once again, been spent on a facility without a clear plan for its use.
