Of the N1.147 trillion budget indicated, N140 billion was earmarked for personnel cost, while N280 billion was earmarked for overhead as well as N726 billion for capital projects.
The Senate has passed for a second reading a sum of N1.1tn Federal Capital Territory 2024 Appropriation Bill.
The bill titled, “2024 Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Appropriations Bill 2024, (SB 397),” was sponsored by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) during Thursday’s plenary.
Out of the N1.147 trillion budget indicated, N140 billion was earmarked for personnel cost, while N280 billion was earmarked for overhead as well as N726 billion for capital projects.
In his lead debate, Bamidele, said the appropriations bill considered the revenue and expenditure projections of the FCT administration, which align with the federal government’s fiscal and developmental policies.
According to him, the budget was for “the service of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for the financial year commencing from 1st January and ending on 31 December, 2024.
“The thrust of the Federal Capital Territory 2024 statutory budget is to ensure an effective and enduring service oriented administration for the completion of ongoing projects and the provision of effective services to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory.”
Supporting the motion, the Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North) called for an expeditious passage of the bill to tackle the challenges facing the FCT administration.
“I want to commend the current administration of the FCT for bringing forward the earliest budget maybe in 10 years because the usual thing was to bring the appropriation maybe around November, sometimes even December but this time around, it’s been brought March, the earliest in recent times.
“I think it’s in tandem with the current posture of this administration that the budget process should always start from January and end December.”
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Speaking further, he said, “The minister was here and he ruled out all he intends to do in terms of the security and lives and properties of the FCT, in terms of infrastructure and issues that has to do with innovations in order to change the trend of how things are done here.”
On his part, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, assured that the bill would get an expeditious consideration and passed in order to encourage the Minister of the FCT.
The bill was thereafter referred to the committee on the FCT to report back on the next legislative session.
