Reps panel pass N98.5bn FCT Supplementary Budget

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives’ Committee on FCT on Wednesday adopted the bill seeking for the approval of N288 billion Supplementary budget for Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
According to President Bola Tinubu’s letter, from the total sum of N288 billion supplementary budget was necessitated with a view to accommodate additional inflows from Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and Miscellaneous Revenues in the sums of N8 billion and N280 billion, respectively.
Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Hon. Aliyu Muktar Betara who spoke during the budget defence meeting with members, explained that the need for accelerated consideration and passage of the Appropriation bill for the implementation of critical developmental projects across the nation’s capital city.
While noting that most of the projects captured in the Statutory budget, he observed that the Senate Committee on FCT is also working on the proposed Supplementary budget.
Hon. Betara explained that the Committee was mandated to lay the report on the Supplementary budget during Thursday plenary “because there are critical projects that needed to start by next week because of the timeframe.”
According to him, FCT Minister during the consultation affirmed that most of the augmentation requested for in the proposed supplementary budget were captured in the 2024 statutory budget passed by the National Assembly.
“There are no new projects, the only new projects are just two line items,” he noted.
After the unanimous adoption of the supplementary budget, the Committee resolved to lay the report during Thursday plenary.
President Tinubu in the letter addressed to Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, averred that: “Indeed, residents of the Federal Capital Territory are in high spirit and elated with the magnitude and scope of on-going projects simultaneously within the City Centre and across the six Area Councils of the Territory.