By Joyce Remi- Babayeju
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello has presented the sum of N 67 billion budget to the National Assembly.
Bello on Tuesday informed the joint house of Senate and House of Assembly that it is to spend the sum of N64,861,604,695.00 (Sixty Four Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty One Million, Six Hundred and Four Thousand and Six Hundred and Ninety Five Naira) for its 2022, National Priority Projects.
According to the Minister noted that the figure was already contained in the 2022 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari on 7th of October 2021 adding that the National Budget estimates of the FCT leveraged the 2021-2022 Medium Term National Plan (MTNDP) of the Federal Government.
Further more the Minister explained that the priority of the of the MTNDP is the completion of on-going critical projects that will have the greatest impact on the citizenry and accordingly, the 2022 FCT budget estimates targets the sustained completion of 18 priority projects both within the Federal Capital City (FCC) and the satellite towns.
According to him, part of the administration’s priority projects include the installation of solar street lights along various roads in the satellite towns; provision of roads, water and electricity supplies to the resettlement site of Galuwyi Shere (Phase II); Rehabilitation and upgrading of street lighting facilities within the FCC; Design/ construction of dam, treatment plant, tanks and other bulk water supply infrastructure to Karshi; Abuja Light Rail Transit Phase II Addendum 1-2 (2); and the Rehabilitation of Federal Government Buildings amongst others.
Bello said that the construction of the Mpape –Shere Galuwyi road is a bold initiative of the Administration is aimed at a successful resettlement process of original inhabitants in about 16 communities while the implementation of the Abuja Light rail Mass transit Phase II Addendum 1-2 (2) will fund the completion of a remaining 5.76km rail line thereby extending the rail line from Baizango to the Kubwa station.
He explained that the Greater Abuja Water supply project is a bilateral initiative to enhance water supply in the FCT to supply potable water to 33 Districts covering Gwarimpa, 1 and 2, Utako, Dutse, Gudu Kaura, Wuye, Mabushi, Jahi, Kado , Karmo, Lokogoma, Kabusa, Dape amongst others.
Bello disclosed that the 2021 Appropriation Act gulped the sum of N37, 430,762,421.00 in infrastructures development in the FCT , with N30,147,069,087.06 released for budget performance of 81%. while the actual utilization as at September 30 2021 stood at N18,350, 329,852.46 representing 60% of the sum released.
