The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced the payment of N57.6 billion to contractors handling various projects such as water provision, roads and railway construction as well as health, education and environmental sanitation structures and services.
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello who disclosed this to news men today, Wednesday, said that there has been massive return of contractors to site following the payments.
The Minister who spoke through the Director of Treasury, Malam Isiaku Ismaila said that the Administration had put in place, strategic plans to ensure that all on-going projects that conform to the Abuja Master are completed.
According to him, indigenous contractors who were owed N100 million and below have all been paid, especially those with matured bills that were provided for in the statutory budget. He added that funding for these payments were mobilized through transparency, diligent and judicious management of funds without leakages in the system.
“Six hundred and twenty seven Iidigenous contractors being owed N100 million and below and who have matured bills and which provisions were made in the statutory budget were paid the sum of N6.9 billion in the last quarter of 2016. Another N3.3 billion has been paid to 403 other contractors with bills less than 100 million in the first quarter of 2017.”
“Happily, from the last quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017, the number of liability is coming down, in fact more than 50 per cent because there were some that their bills were not matured as at the time we were making payments in December. So, we felt that every contractor within the statutory year who has been able to perform and shown good faith on site is able to raise bills.”
He said that road construction; city cleaning and environmental sanitation are being given adequate attention by the Administrationy.
The Minister said that funds have been fully released for the health insurance scheme of all FCTA workers, while all counterpart funds have been appropriately paid to development partners of the FCTA.
Musa Bello said that the Administration has also taken the issue of Pensioners’ outstanding arrears serious, adding that they have been paid up-to-date.
“The current FCT Administration so far has released some N2.3 billion for this purpose. All forms of entitlements to retirees under the FCT Administration have been paid up to date with no arrears at all’.
“The FCT Administration has also reinvigorated the school feeding programme. Some N980m has been disbursed towards feeding of students under the FCT Secondary Education Board.” [myad]
