Senate Committee On FCT Promises Quick 2021 Appropriation Bill Passage
As questions are being raised by federal lawmakers on how several ministries and their agencies implemented the 2020 budget, the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has assured of quick and expeditious passage of the territory’s 2021 expenditure proposals of more than N243 billion.
Chairman Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Abubakar Kyari, assured that the territory’s statutory budget would be approved before the end of 2020 financial year to enable the FCT Administration complete strategic ongoing development projects spread across the six area councils.
Senator Kyari gave the assurance during the 2021 budget defence by officials of the FCTA led by the Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello, who pleaded for quick consideration of the proposals to enable contractors go back to work, pointing out that only about 40% success was recorded in budget implementation during the outgoing year.
The committee chairman decried the level of under-development, especially within the satellite towns of the FCT, despite the huge amounts of money spent annually on infrastructure and other services.
He remarked that at the slow rate of growth, it might take Abuja more than 50 years to attain the type of development befitting the federal capital of Nigeria, a nation which prides itself as the giant of Africa.
The lawmaker warned against embarking on new projects in the 2021 financial year and he advised the administration to concentrate more on the development of the satellite towns to decongest the city and reduce the pressure from population explosion.
FCT minister, Musa Bello, blamed the unimpressive performance of the 2020 budget on the Covid-19 pandemic and the #endsars protests but assured that the FCTA will improve on its rating in 2021.
The minister promised that no new projects will be initiated in 2021 but added that the administration will concentrate on completing old ones especially the Millennium Tower located at the city centre.
#orientdailynews
