Posted by Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has proposed an N61,553,778,259 billion 2023 statutory supplementary budget proposal for the FCT to the National Assembly’s Senate and House of Representatives Committees.
The FCT Minister disclosed during a presentation to the Senate and House of Representatives Committees in Abuja on Wednesday that the supplementary budget is to accommodate additional cash inflows to the FCT to ensure the completion of prioritized projects and programs of the administration.
The minister explained that the additional cash inflows include N25.8 billion in Paris Club Refund, N28.6 billion in PAYE Tax liabilities from federal agencies, N5 billion in Special Intervention Funds (Palliatives) from the Federal Government, N9.4 billion in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), and N5 billion in Infrastructure Support Fund.
The planned figure of N61.55 billion includes N12.9 billion for overhead costs and N48.6 billion for capital investment.
Resurfacing of existing roads and remedial works phase I and II, completion of roads B6, B12, and Circle Road in Abuja Central Area, Full Scope Development of Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX), and Construction of Southern Parkway from Christian Centre (S8/9) to Ring Road I (RRI) are among the capital projects that will benefit from the supplementary budget.
Other projects include providing Engineering Infrastructure to the Wuye District, an Access Road to the Kabusa Garden Estate, Mass Transit Buses/Rehabilitation of Existing and Serviceable Buses, Rehabilitation of the National Mosque and National Christian Centre, and the Design and Construction of the Vice President’s Residence, among others
The minister also revealed that almost all of the contractors working for the FCT Administration had fled the project sites prior to the arrival of the present FCT Administration due to the FCTA’s failure to meet contractual obligations.
He stated that the FCT Administration required the National Assembly’s approval via appropriation in order to use the necessary funds to return the contractors to the various sites, adding that the budgeted funds would be attached to some of the ongoing projects to ensure their completion by May of next year.
He stated that the projects are part of the presidential deliverables that the FCT Administration is committed to completing by the President’s one-year anniversary in office in May 2024.
The FCT Minister also revealed that substantial funds from the supplementary budget have been set aside for extensive advertisements in national newspapers in order to raise awareness about the government’s efforts to enforce the payment of ground rent and the proposed recertification of Certificates of Occupancy.
These efforts, according to the Minister, will assist to raise the FCT’s IGR and improve the security aspects of FCT land title papers, as well as combat checkmate fraud.
The Minister also stated that the administration will retain the services of renowned Nigerian lawyers to effectively defend the FCTA in the approximately 800 lawsuits filed against it.
He further explained that the FCT 2023 supplementary budget varies from the President’s national supplementary budget, in which N100 billion was provided to the FCT to carry out national projects such as the metro line and other road projects.
As a result, Wike urged the National Assembly to approve the supplementary budget as soon as possible, promising that the FCT will see the commissioning of many projects next year.