By Stanley Onyekwere
About 100,000 destitute and beggars were repatriated by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to their various states of origin in 2013, the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has disclosed.
The minister, made the disclosure yesterday, during the FCTA budget defence before the Senate Committee on FCT, at the National Assembly, Abuja.
Mohammed, who did not give much details, said however that most of them returned to Abuja as soon as they were released.
On infrastructural development in the FCT, the minister told the committee that funding required for the provision of infrastructure and services in the Territory is enormous, According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the FCT minister, Muhammad Sule, the the minister said the nation’s capital
requires a total sum of N470, 348,913,896.95 to pay and complete 17 key national projects in the Territory.
He however, lamented that the sum of N30.410 billion has been earmarked in the 2014 Budget which may not allow the FCT to operate optimally.
He called on the National Assembly to assist in the quick passage of the FCT Property Tax bill where about N500 billion is expected to be generated annually to the coffers of the FCT Administration.
The minister assured that the FCT Administration would strive to facilitate and attain its goals of creating a city that would compare favourably with the best in the World.
Senator Mohammed also called on the National Assembly to pass the Bill for the establishment of the FCT Board of Internal Revenue to enable the Administration block all revenue leakages and pay development partners for services rendered.
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