Tag: National Economic Council (NEC)

With the relocation of the capital city to Abuja, the part of the thick forest where the Presidential Villa is presently sitting gave way to the construction of many offices and buildings as the seat of power.

The Council Chamber in the Villa has been in use since the days of the first occupant of the Presidential Villa for meetings under the military era.

Civilian administrations from 1999 have also been putting the chamber to great use.

With the capacity to sit about 100 persons at a time, the oval-shaped hall is one of the closest to the President’s office.

The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting and the monthly National Economic Council (NEC) meeting  are usually held in the chamber.

Other important functions at the chamber include national functions, like swearing in of Chief Justice of Nigeria, and permanent secretaries and commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Council Chamber also has a media briefing hall that is sometimes used for other meetings and official functions.

Journalists are usually briefed weekly in the media briefing hall at the end of FEC meetings and monthly NEC meetings.

Under Jonathan, the Council Chamber media briefing hall has also been used to receive many groups including Nollywood actors and actresses, under different platforms, visiting to pledge their solidarity towards his reelection in 2015.

Buhari also used the Council Chamber media briefing hall many occasions, including receiving rescued school girls, who were abducted from their school in Chibok, Borno State in 2014.

Among the buildings in the Villa, include Houses 7, 8 and 10.

The three houses were meant to be the President’s Guest Houses to host his visitors.

They have halls that can sit about 100 guests.

The houses were put to great use under the military era of former Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, former Head of State, Late Sani Abacha, and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Comparing the three houses, House 7 was the most popular among them.

There have been a kind of myth surrounding the houses, especially House 7, during the military era.

At a point, it was even rumoured then that some foreign female guests hosted in one of the houses played significant roles that led to the sudden death of one of the former Nigerian leader.

Under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, House 7 was also used for some meetings, especially political meetings and dinners for guests.

Some political meetings in House 7 also continued under Jonathan, and the House was used for hosting dinner for scholarship students going to study abroad, among other dinners.

But House 7 is now becoming very quiet as the number of open functions held there in the past four years are not up to five. Other halls in the Villa are increasingly being put to use.

One of the closest halls to the Aso Villa Chapel and the President’s official residence is the First Lady Conference Hall.

The hall, which can also sit about 100 persons, was completed and slated for commissioning shortly before Late Gen. Sani Abacha died in 1998.

The hall was greatly used under the subsequent civilian administrations, mainly for political meetings.

Under Jonathan, many late night meetings were held in the hall including meetings to shelve or resolve Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike action, which sometimes ended around 3a.m to 4a.m the following day.

No room in the First Lady Conference Hall was dedicated to keep journalists waiting for such meetings to end.

Of course, journalists covering the State House had no options than to hang around the flowers decorating outside the venue and the mini mosque near its entrance, waiting to know the outcome of the meetings.

At such times, journalists were at the mercy of the outside cold weather and giant ‘Presidential’ mosquitoes.

Their conditions were even worse if it was a period of harmattan as the cold got more intense in the wee hours.

Since no one can conveniently cheat nature, many of the journalists dozed off on the bare floor while waiting for the all-night long meetings to end.

Many of them were woken up hours later by the shout of ‘All stations’, ‘All stations’, ‘All stations’, from their colleagues who have kept vigil, signifying the end of the meetings.

Others who didn’t hear the shout, because of their snoring and deep sleep, were woken up by their friends lying or sitting close to them.

The First Lady Conference Hall has also been put to good use by President Buhari.

Late night meetings spilling to the next day are almost non-existent under Buhari, as he believed in putting his time to good use from morning hours and ending before midnight.

Buhari has used the First Lady Conference Hall to hold some night political meetings including hosting National Assembly All Progressives Congress (APC) caucuses, among others.

But the meetings, which frequency start around 8pm usually end before 10.30pm

One of the newest buildings in the Villa is the new Banquet hall located about one minute walking distance from the President’s office on one side and the President’s residence on the other side.

The hall, which was built at the tail end of former President Jonathan’s tenure, could sit up to 500 guests.

It also has adjourning smaller halls.

Under Jonathan and Buhari, the main hall has been used to host visiting leaders from other countries.

It has also been used for political meetings and dinners.

Of recent, the meeting/dinner for APC caucus that endorsed the new Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, for the number one Federal legislative position, was held in the main hall.

The President’s and Vice President’s offices also have other mini halls and offices for their aides and other staff.

The biggest hall in the Presidential Villa is the old Banquet Hall.

The hall, which can sit over two thousand guests, was built under former President Obasanjo.

It is attached with smaller halls, media briefing hall and other offices. It also has the largest car parks in the State House.

The main hall has hosted many national events, political meetings, workshops and seminars under the past civilian and current administrations.

Buhari, last June, hosted the 55th Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government in the main hall.

But what always attract the attention of any first time visitor to the building is the the big dome on the right side while entering from the visitors’ entrance.

Round the wall of the dome are giant portrait of every President and heads of state that have ruled Nigeria.

Tables and chairs are mostly arranged under the dome for lunch, dinners or tea breaks for functions holding in the main hall.

The tables and chairs are removed if the area under the dome is to be use for cocktail receptions or exhibition of products and services. During such exhibitions, the area is demarcated into many stands.

Under Jonathan, the dome has been used to host cocktail reception for victorious Super Eagles and other teams.

To allow leaders, staff and visitors meet their spiritual obligations at the seat of power, the State House mosque and the Aso Villa Chapel were also built for Moslems and Christians, respectively.

The Administrative block, very close to the old Banquet hall, provides many offices for civil servants in the State House.

The Presidential Villa also has many car parks including the ‘Forest car park’ and the one facing the Officers’ mess.

A bit detached from other buildings at the seat of power is the State House Auditorium.

The auditorium, with ascending rows of seats, can take over two hundred guests at a time

Despite the many staff and visitors to the seat of power, the Villa has one of the poorest Automated Teller Machine (ATM) service in the city.

Many staff in urgent need of ATM services presently have to go as far as the Federal Secretariat or other ATMs in the city.

This is because the only two ATMs by the Forest car park hardly dispense money.

Staff are mostly confronted with ‘Out-of-Service’ message whenever they try to make cash transactions at the ATMs provided by one of the top banks in the country.

It will reduce State House loss hours and also serve staff, visitors and the bank better if the service is improved.

Or alternatively, more spaces can be provided for other banks to come in.

But the seat of power is blessed with a world class Gym in terms of sporting machines and gadgets.

It also has Nigerian Airforce team, under the leadership of Group Captain R. Garba, drilling and training willing staff to remain healthy and fit for their jobs.

Little more attention to the Gym, however, will really make it world class in all ramifications.

All these buildings and facilities have really made the Villa what it is today.