Minister wants more funding for FCT

By Stanley Onyekwere

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello made case for increased funding for projects in Abuja, the nation’s capital city, so as to match infrastructure with the growing population of residents.
According to him, better funding for the FCT Administration would enable it to fulfill its mandate of building a world-class capital city for Nigeria.
Bello made this call while presenting the 2020 National Priority Budget to the House of Representatives Committee on the FCT.
He revealed that the FCT Administration plans to spend N28,422,804,431.00 for the 2020 National Priority Budget.
He also disclosed that in view of the poor performance of the 2019 National Budget, the FCT will reprioritize and rollover only essential on-going projects without making provision of any new project.
He equally added that the number of projects were reduced from 30 as contained in the 2019 National Budget to 13.
Our correspondent reports that highlights of the budget proposal includes the Development of Idu Industrial 1B Engineering Infrastructure, Rehabilitation and Expansion of Airport Expressway Project Lot 1, Counterpart Funding for the Greater Abuja Water Supply Project, Abuja Rail Mass Transit Project Lot 1 and 3, Construction of Abuja Rail Mass Transit Lot 1B and Rehabilitation of Federal Government buildings amongst others.
However, members of the House of Representative Committee on the FCT concurred with the FCT Minister on the need for better funding provisions of the FCT considering the enormous responsibilities placed on the FCT Administration of providing a befitting capital for Nigeria.