The Senate, yesterday, passed for Second Reading, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2022 budget of N607, 952,023,580.
The Senate, however, expressed dismay over the late presentation of the FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill, 2022 for consideration. It warned against future occurrence.
Senate Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, in his lead debate, noted that the 2022 FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill seeks to authorise the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, of N607, 952,023,580.00 only.
According to him, out of the amount, N76, 569,904,857 has been earmarked for personnel costs, N138, 199,851,110 for overhead costs, while the balance of N393, 182,267,614 is for capital projects “for the service of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja for the financial year commencing from January 1, and ending December 31 2022.”
Senator Gobir added that the fundamental thrust of the FCT 2022 Statutory Appropriation Bill was to ensure “an effective and enduring service-oriented administration for the completion of ongoing projects and the provision of effective services for the residents of the FCT.”
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi West), supported the bill and pledged his panel’s readiness to give it accelerated consideration, the fact that it was transmitted too late notwithstanding.
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Senator James Manager, (PDP-Delta South), decried a situation where the 2022 statutory appropriation of the FCT was being considered for second reading in October 2022-less than two-and-a-half months to the end of the year.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan described the late presentation of the FCT Appropriation Bill for 2022 as “unacceptable.”
He, however, warned that the presentation of future budget proposals of the FCT should not be delayed.
He urged his colleagues to consider and pass the budget in the interest of the residents of the FCT that the budget is meant to serve.
The Senate Leader noted that Abuja was too far behind in terms of achieving the developmental target envisaged.
He added that in recent years, the FCT Administration had been confronted with enormous infrastructure and socio-economic challenges by virtue of being the country’s capital.
He said the FCT population was growing in leaps and bounds, adding: He lamented that service delivery in the FCT had also been adversely affected.
Senators approved that the bill is read for a second time when the request for its passage was put to a voice vote by the Senate President.
Lawan, thereafter, referred the bill to the Senate Committee on the FCT for further legislative work and to report back to plenary in one week.