The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has urged the National Assembly to approve the N17 billion allocated to the FCT Administration in the 2024 national budget. Wike made this appeal during his appearance before a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on FCT to defend the FCT budget.
The former Rivers State Governor outlined that the allocated funds are intended to complete abandoned projects and sustain the implementation of critical projects in the FCT. Wike provided a breakdown of the budget figures, highlighting that N5 billion is allocated as counterpart funding for the Greater Abuja Water Supply project, N4.5 billion for the design and construction of the Nigeria Cultural Centre and Millennium Tower, N3 billion for the rehabilitation of the federal secretariat, and N4 billion for the completion of the Vice President’s residence.
Additionally, N609.7 million is budgeted for the settlement of residential and office accommodation for international organizations in the FCT.
During the budget defense, Wike emphasized the importance of the N17.1 billion allocation and appealed to the lawmakers, saying, “The money is just N17.1 billion, so what can I say other than to say, please help us pass it.”
Wike informed the committee that, of the N15.5 billion appropriated for infrastructural development in the 2023 budget, only N8 billion was released, representing 52 percent. Responding to this, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the FCT, Ibrahim Bomai, acknowledged that the funds might not be sufficient to complete the projects. He appealed to committee members to give their approval considering the limited amount.
“If you have no objection, we will ask the minister to take a bow and go,” Bomai concluded.
