Senate Approves ₦288bn Supplementary Budget for Wike FCTA

The Senate has approved a ₦288bn supplementary budget for Wike’s Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), aimed at boosting development efforts.

The second reading of a ₦288 billion supplemental budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Nigeria has been approved by the Senate.

The bill has also been adopted by the House of Representatives’ FCT Committee, bringing it one step closer to final approval.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele introduced the measure and emphasized the significance of adopting the allocation during the Senate plenary session.

In order to guarantee that the FCTA has the resources needed to handle both continuing and new demands inside the capital territory, Bamidele underlined that the supplemental budget was required to account for extra inflows from Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) and other revenue streams.

“The Bill for an Act to issue the entire amount of N288,000,000,000.00 only from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account arising from a need to accommodate additional inflows from Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) and other revenues in the sums of N8,000,000,000.00 only and N280,000,000,000.00 only, respectively; and for other related matters, 2024,” he stated.

The budget was passed in response to a letter sent to the National Assembly on September 19, 2024, by President Bola Tinubu.

In the letter, Tinubu claimed that the FCTA’s supplemental budget was approved in accordance with a 1999 Constitutional clause (as amended).

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The letter said, “I write to forward herewith an additional supplemental budget proposal for the FCTA for consideration and passage by the House of Representatives, in accordance with the provisions of Section 121 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution.”

This supplemental budget plan is in line with the federal government’s developmental and fiscal policies as well as the Renewed Hope Agenda. It was created using the FCTA’s reviewed revenue and spending predictions.

“With it, the Federal Capital Territory’s infrastructure and human capital development remain top priorities under the FCTA.”

The FCT’s N98.5 billion supplemental budget was approved by the Senate in June, and now there is a new one.

In a similar spirit, the bill to approve an FCTA Supplementary Budget of N288 billion was also adopted by the House of Representatives Committee on FCT.

Speaking to members during the budget defense meeting, Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara, the chairman of the House Committee on the Federal Capital Territory, explained that expedited consideration and passage of the Appropriations bill was necessary for the implementation of crucial developmental projects throughout the nation’s capital city.

Betara said that the Senate Committee on FCT was also working on the proposed Supplementary budget, even if the majority of the projects included in the Statutory budget were not.

The member went on to say that the Committee was required to present the report on the Supplementary Budget to the plenary today because of timing constraints requiring the start of certain crucial projects by next week.

The consultation confirmed that the majority of the increases sought in the proposed supplemental budget were covered by the National Assembly’s 2024 statutory budget. Only two line items are new; there are no other new projects, he continued.

The Ministry of Livestock, which was recently established by President Bola Tinubu, would use the dilapidated Ministry of Agriculture building near the Bank of Industry in the Central Business District, according to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s administration.

This was revealed by Wike yesterday following a construction check.

He claimed Tinubu had given the order to examine and renovate the new Ministry of Livestock’s building right away.

Wike said that the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock was a positive step and that the FCTA will extend an invitation to renovating businesses to inspect the structure and provide a quote.

We went there to view things for ourselves for that reason. Since this is an urgent job, we will invite a few companies to give us an estimate for the work. It is encouraging to see the Ministry of Livestock come into being; people are eager for it to get going.

“Now that the location has been determined, the President has directed the FCT Administration, via the FCDA, to examine it. The integrity test has been completed, and it is in order. We will also renovate and outfit it, after which the Ministry of Livestock will assume responsibility,” Wike stated.

Regarding the timing of the ministry’s relocation, Wike stated that following the completion of the ongoing emergency repairs, a few businesses would be invited to assess the structure. Following this, the government would then select the most responsive and best-qualified bidder.

The minister also bemoaned the land encroaching on Kugbo International Market.

After visiting the facility, which is thought to be the largest in West Africa, he made the announcement yesterday.

Wike gave the Development Control the order to demolish any building that would cause a delay in the project, especially the road project, right away.

Additionally, the minister requested that Jerry Joseph Damara, the managing director of Mesotho Group Limited and a market investor, guarantee the market’s funds in order to facilitate its completion by January 2025.

“Since the first phase is finished, we’ll see what we can do to make sure we open the first phase and some of these roadside vendors come in here and provide the desired free traffic,” he continued.

He was pleased with what he saw at the market and stated that the FCTA would make sure that people arrived as soon as possible because the Kugbo Market will clear traffic and generate jobs for a large number of people.