Reps to pass N232.875 billion FCTA budget Thursday

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives yesterday disclosed it readiness to pass the N232.875 billion Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) budget for the 2020 financial year next week Thursday.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila gave disclosed this at Thursday plenary while ruling after debate for the 2020 FCTA Appropriation Bill to be read for the second time.
Gbajabiamila charged the Committee on the FCT and Members of the House to work hard so as pass Bill (budget) before proceeding on Christmas and New Year break next week, emphasizing that the House was determined to also return the FCT budget to January-December cycle.
“As we have been able to successfully returned the national budget to January to December cycle, we hope we will get the FCT budget too, to January to December. The FCT Committee, you are going to be working all through the weekend because if possible, we will like to pass this budget before we will close on the 19th of December (next Thursday)”, he said.
Peter Akpatason, Acting Majority Leader of the House while moving for the Bill to be read for the second time, said it was “a Bill For an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Statutory Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, the Total Sum OF N232,875,365,947.00 (Two Hundred and Thirty Two Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Five Million, Three Hundred and Sixty Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Seven Naira) only.
Out of which, “the Sum of N53,876,241,095.00 (Fifty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Six Million, Two Hundred and Forty One Thousand and Ninety Five Naira) only, is for Personnel Costs and the Sum of N57,070,343,435.00 (Fifty Seven Billion and Seventy Million, Three Hundred and Forty Three Thousand, Four Hundred and Thirty Five Naira) Only, is for Overhead Costs.
“The balance of N121,928,781,417.00 (One Hundred and Twenty One Billion, Nine Hundred and Twenty Eight Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty One Thousand, Four Hundred and Seventeen Naira) only, is for Capital Projects for the Service of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, for the Financial year ending on 31 December, 2020”.
Giving highlights of the FCT 2020 budget, Akpatason said, “FCDA is to get N30 billion for infrastructure development, FCT Secondary Education will get N12.48 billion, FCT Universal Basic Education Board will get N17.53 billion, Satellite Towns Development Department N37.73 billion.
In a debate on the general principles of the FCT 2020 Appropriation Bill, the Majority Leader noted that, it was the House’s collective responsibility to ensure that the Bill scales through second reading and referred to the Committee on FCT for further legislative action.

“Our mandate is to report to the House not later than next week Thursday. This will enable the House to pass the FCT budget and return FCT to the January-December budget cycle”, Akpatason implored.

In her debate, Blessing Onuh, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on FCT argued that passing the budget will address the issues on infrastructural development, provide social services, ensure youth empowerment and address security challenges and called on the House to support the Bill to pass the second reading.

According to her, “FCT has a dual role as a state and a ministry. It operates a parallel budget. As a ministry, it operates the national priority budget and as a state, it operates the FCT statutory budget.

“Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, you may also want to know that the FCT statutory budget is funded from the 1% of the 52.6% of the federation account. Also FCT relies on its internally generated revenue and other sources for the execution of their recurrent expenditure and also their capital projects”.

The Bill passed second reading through affirmation by majority voice vote and it was referred.