The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the N1.28 trillion budget of the Federal Capital Territory Administration presented to the National Assembly.
The passage of the budget followed a report submitted to the House by the Chairman of the House Committee on FTC, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, following a budget defence by the Minister of the FCT, Nyelsom Wike.
Out of this allocation, N140.915 billion is earmarked for personnel costs, while N373.027 billion is allocated for overhead costs.
The remaining N768.328 billion is designated for capital projects to serve the needs of the FCT.
Wike had on Monday during an appearance before the Senate and House Committees on FCT defended the budget, saying the document is designed to transform the capital city and rural communities.
Wike explained that the proposed capital expenditure would be dedicated to the development of infrastructure with emphasis on the completion of ongoing projects.
In his presentation, Betara stated, “The House do receive the Report of the Committees on Federal Capital Territory and Federal Capital Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters on a Bill for an Act to Authorise the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, the total sum of N1,282,270,610,283.00 (one trillion, two hundred and eighty-two billion, two hundred and seventy million, six hundred and ten thousand, two hundred and eighty-three Naira only).”
Speaking at the budget defence session, Betara asked the Minister to prioritize transparency, accountability, and adherence to budgetary guidelines in project execution in the territory.
The lawmaker, who underscored the committee’s commitment to ensuring efficient fund utilization for tangible benefits amid FCT’s developmental challenges, stressed the need for robust monitoring mechanisms to track project progress and hold authorities accountable.
The House mandated the Minister of FCT and the Director of Treasury shall furnish the National Assembly, on a quarterly basis, the status of the records of the Federal Capital Territory Statutory Accounts.
