The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has said that the capital city, Abuja, is now over-stretched with a population of about six million
The minister, who received in audience today, March 17, top officials of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in his office in Abuja, explained that the FCT currently has an approximate population of six million people as against the 2.5 million envisaged by the master plan.
“So, everything is grossly overstretched and that’s why the FCT Administration, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, decided that we continue to emphasize on completing ongoing infrastructural projects in the road, rail and water sectors.”
He stressed that Abuja is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with an annual population growth of between seven percent and nine percent.
Malam Musa Bello said that with the number of infrastructural development projects currently going on in the FCT, funding remains a challenge.
He appealed to the body to work out a specific funding mechanism for the FCT to enable its Administration meet its infrastructural development objective for the city.
“As the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, it is your national duty to create a special funding mechanism that is not against the constitution that makes sure that these works in progress are done because as you know, we are considered under section 299 of the Constitution as if we were a state.”
This was even as the leader of the delegation, Dr Chris Akomas told the Minister that they were on an advocacy and sensitization visit to seek the cooperation of the FCT Administration to enable it discharge its duties, one of which is the collation of accurate and reliable data.
“We are visiting all these places because we are talking of data and we are looking forward to data integrity”.
