The Presidential Villa in Abuja is undergoing fresh renovation and maintenance works, with the latest exercise drawing attention to billions of naira allocated for the upkeep of the seat of Nigeria’s presidency over the past three years.
Workers were seen repainting sections of the sprawling complex, cleaning offices and carrying out fumigation, according to observations by Saturday PUNCH. The exercise comes less than three months before the January 16, 2027 presidential election.
The ongoing work covers the long corridor leading to President Bola Tinubu’s office, the arches around the administrative wing and sections of the passageways connecting to the Presidential Banquet Hall. Some workers were also seen repairing and repainting elevated sections of the buildings.
However, officials familiar with the exercise described it as routine maintenance rather than an extraordinary renovation project. They attributed the work to the State House Management and its Maintenance Department, operating under the supervision of Permanent Secretary Temitope Fashedemi.
The scale of public funds allocated to maintaining the complex is also attracting attention. An examination of the State House Headquarters’ budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026 showed that a combined ₦53.58bn was earmarked for maintenance-related activities over the three-year period.
Under the 2026 Appropriation Act, approximately ₦4.23bn was provided for routine maintenance of mechanical and electrical installations, buildings, civil infrastructure and environmental services across the Villa and associated facilities.
Another ₦3.84bn was allocated for the annual maintenance of the Presidential Villa, while more than ₦8.34bn was set aside to settle outstanding obligations to Julius Berger and other service providers dating from 2022. The liabilities also cover expenses such as water supply, electricity and waste disposal.
The budget further provides for building repairs, rehabilitation projects and renovation of residential facilities within the State House. In 2025, routine maintenance and related obligations accounted for substantial spending, including ₦6.04bn for routine maintenance, ₦5.49bn for annual Villa maintenance and ₦11.92bn for outstanding liabilities.
Despite the sizeable allocations, the annual routine maintenance budget has declined considerably. The provision dropped from approximately ₦9.2bn in 2024 to ₦4.23bn in 2026, representing a reduction of about 54 per cent.
The current exercise is not the first time the Presidential Villa has undergone extensive maintenance around a change of administration. In May 2023, preparations for Tinubu’s inauguration included repainting the President’s office, residence, Council Chamber and perimeter fence.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari had also moved from the main presidential residence to the Glass House in July 2023 to allow renovation and cleaning work before the new administration settled into the complex.
Tinubu subsequently occupied the Glass House while work on the principal residence continued. The latest maintenance exercise therefore adds to a series of refurbishment projects undertaken at the seat of government, where recurring allocations cover buildings, infrastructure, utilities and residential facilities.
