Security vote is a monthly allowance used by state governors of the 36 states to fund security services within the states.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has requested permission from the Senate to include a security vote in the N1.1 trillion in the FCT 2024 budget.
Wike made this appeal while defending the budget before the Senate on Monday.
OrderPaper recalls that the Senate had 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) last week.
Out of the N1.147 trillion budget indicated, N140 billion was earmarked for personnel costs, while N280 billion was earmarked for overhead and N726 billion for capital projects.
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Security vote is a monthly allowance earmarked by state governors, arbitrarily without any form of transparency or accountability, for the sole purpose of funding security services within the states. These funds are also not subject to legislative oversight as it is solely at the discretion of the governor.
Wike assured that if the FCT Administration is allowed to have security votes like State governments, the security vote will allow him to tackle the security situation in Abuja better.
“If you recollect what we said in the security council meeting. I did say that in tackling the issue of insecurity, there are certain operations that we call covert operations and that even some people may not even know. But here in Abuja, or in FCT, no security man can be given N10,000.
“He has to apply. You have to take it to the Permanent Secretary, who will take it to the DFA (Director of Finance and Accounts) before the money will be released.
“Now, in that case, you don’t even know whether it is the Permanent Secretary or the DFA, that’s giving out information regarding the operation.
“Those of us who have been Governors, the Director of the SSS can come and tell you, we want to do an operation on this matter. I will require N20 million for the operation.
“Of course, you don’t need to go and call anybody. All you need to do is to give him the N20 million cash. But in FCT there is nothing like that. You can’t even give N500,000.
“So there’s no security vote in the FCT and so, I did present this when we discussed security issues. This is just to let you know, so you don’t forget that you did promise us that you will make sure that around there would be a security vote to take care of some of these challenges,” he added.
Speaking further on the FCT budget, Wike noted that the fiscal framework of the sum of N1,147 trillion proposed in the FCT 2024 Statutory Budget, comprised of Distributable Revenue of N510.3 million and Non-Distributable Revenue of N637.4 million.
According to him, “when compared with the Revised 2023 Appropriation of the sum of N641.2 there is an increase of the sum of N506.5 million which amounts to 44% in the 2024 statutory budget proposal.”
Wike stressed that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and the Satellite Towns Development Department (STDD) were saddled with the mandates for the provision of infrastructure facilities and services in the FCT and the satellite towns respectively which has resulted in the two agencies being allocated a greater percentage of the Capital Expenditure of the Budget.
“The FCDA has a proposal of the sum of N457 Billion for the provision of infrastructure within and around the Federal Capital City (FCC). Out of this amount, the sum of N282 Billion is earmarked for On-going Projects while the sum of N175 Billion is for critical new-projects.”
He further highlighted some of the projects to be executed from the 2024 FCT statutory budget proposal.
“The completion of roads B6 B12, Construction of Access Road and Car Park for Abuja Light Rail Dei-Dei/Gwagwa Station (Lot 5), Full Scope Development of Arterial Road N20 from Northern Parkway to Outer Northern Expressway (ONEX), Provision of Engineering Infrastructure to Guzape, Provision of Engineering Infrastructure to Wuye _ District, Extension of Inner Southern Expressway (ISEX) from Southern Parkway (S8/S9) to Ring Road {1 (RRII), Full Scope Development of FCT Highway 105 (Kuje Road) from Airport Expressway to OSEX with Spur at Kyami District, construction of Northern Parkway from Ring Road I! to Ring Road Ill (6.2Km), full Scope Development of N5 & N20 and Provision of Engineering District Infrastructure to Asokoro Island Layout in the FCT,” he listed.
Further speaking, he said, “The sum of N198.5 billion is earmarked for the eight major roads in the year 2024, in order to speed up their completion before the end of 2024 fiscal year. The expansion and rehabilitation of these roads will eventually reduce the travel time and traffic gridlock on our roads within and outside FCC,” he added.
