Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Musa Bello has presented before the National Assembly, a budget of N64,861,604,695.00 for 2022, boasting that the Internally Generated Revenue of the capital territory is now second only to that of Lagos State.
Presenting the FCT’s Budget to the Joint Senate and House Committees on the FCT at the National Assembly yesterday, November 9, the Minister stressed the need to increase the FCT’s budgetary allocation.
He emphasized that the FCT has been performing well in its revenue generation drive “as it is now only second to Lagos State in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).”
The Minister, who did not give details of the amount of such Internally Generated Revenue said that the total figure in the 2022 budget also contained in the 2022 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on 7th of October 2021.
According to Muhammad Musa Bello, the National Budget estimates of the FCT leveraged the 2021-2022 Medium Term National Plan (MTNDP) of the Federal Government.
Hevsaid that the priority of the of the MTNDP is the completion of on-going critical projects that will have the greatest impact on the citizenry and accordingly, the 2022 FCT budget estimates targets the sustained completion of 18 priority projects both within the Federal Capital City (FCC) and the satellite towns.
Some of these priority projects, he said, include the installation of solar street lights along various roads in the satellite towns; provision of roads, water and electricity supplies to the resettlement site of Galuwyi Shere (Phase II); Rehabilitation and upgrading of street lighting facilities within the FCC; Design/ construction of dam, treatment plant, tanks and other bulk water supply infrastructure to Karshi; Abuja Light Rail Transit Phase II Addendum 1-2 (2); and the Rehabilitation of Federal Government Buildings amongst others.
The Minister said that the construction of the Mpape –Shere Galuwyi road is a bold initiative of the Administration to ensure a successful resettlement process of original inhabitants in about 16 communities while the implementation of the Abuja Light rail Mass transit Phase II Addendum 1-2 (2) will fund the completion of a remaining 5.76km rail line thereby extending the rail line from Baizango to the Kubwa station.
The Minister said that the Greater Abuja Water supply project is a bilateral initiative to enhance water supply in the FCT and its implementation will extend the supply of potable water to 33 Districts covering Gwarimpa, 1 and 2, Utako, Dutse, Gudu Kaura, Wuye, Mabushi, Jahi, Kado , Karmo, Lokogoma, Kabusa, Dape amongst others.
On the performance of the 2021 National Budget, Muhammad Musa Bello said that the 2021 Appropriation Act had allocated the sum of N37, 430,762,421.00 for infrastructure development activities of the FCT Administration.
As of date, the Minister said, a total sum of N30,147,069,087.06 has been released, representing a budget performance of 81% while the actual utilization as at September 30 2021 stood at N18,350, 329,852.46 representing 60% of the sum released.
That was even as members of the Committee commended the FCT Administration for its 2021 national budget performance and its revenue generation performance.
It called for special funding to tackle security challenges in the FCT and also for the development of the satellite towns.
The minister was accompanied by the Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, Chief of Staff to the Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, the Ag Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Barr. Abdullahi Kuyambana and other senior officials of the Administration.
