Lawan faults FCT budget over absence of security allocation

The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan has expressed worry over the absence of votes for security in the National Statutory Budget referred to the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory for further legislative action after it’s passage for second reading.

Lawan who made his remark after the debate by lawmakers on the N232.8bn FCT statutory appropriation bill 2020 wondered why it made no provision for the security of the Federal Capital Territory especially as the city had witnessed various cases of kidnapping, transit-robbery within the city by some cab drivers and their cohorts.

According to Lawan, “I want to also ask whether we have so much provision in the National Priority budget of the FCT for Security?

“I’ve not seen anything for security here and I’m worried, because I think the security situation in the FCT needs security attention, not necessarily inside the Federal Capital itself, but the satellite towns where people are kidnapped including one of our royal fathers.

“I believe that we need to look into that.

“Definitely the security needs some attention from us, even if there is no provision. We should be able to prioritize and see which other subheads we can take money from to provide for security,” the concerned President of the Senate stated.

Lawmakers had debated the merit of the budget especially in view of its performance in the 2019 budget.

Leader of the Senate, Ahmed Yahaya in his lead debate had told lawmakers at plenary that during the year 2019, a total sum of N120,737,449,084.07 accrued to the Federal Capital Territory as revenue.

The amount represented about fifty percent level of performance of the funds due to the Federal Capital Territory, Yahaya who was represented by the Deputy Leader the Senate Robert Boroffice.

Out of the amount, the sum of N46,3bn was expended on Capital Projects, representing 35 per cent of the year’s expenditure

He drew the attention of the Senate to the thrust of the FCT 2020 Statutory Budget to be focused on efficient and effective services to the residents.

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Among projects to be implemented by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in the year 2020 are: provision of infrastructural facilities to districts and road construction in Jahi, Wuye and Karmo with the sum of N6.3 billion; reconstruction and finalisation of Lower Usman Dam and Gurara Road pegged at N1.5 billion, and N3.5 billion for proposed counterpart funding for Greater Abuja Water Supply.

Others are: construction of Cultural Centre and Millennium Tower at N1 billion; rehabilitation and expansion of Outer Southern Expressway from Villa Roundabout to Osex/Ring Road 1 Junction at N1 billion; N1.3 billion for completion of Roads B6, B12 and Circle Road, Abuja, Central Area, and N500 million for the provision of access road to Kabusa Garden.

Senators who contributed to the debate threw their weights behind the approval of the sum budgeted for the FCT in the 2020 fiscal year.

However, some lawmakers such as George Thompson Sekibo (PDP, Rivers East) and James Manager (PDP, Delta South) argued that the FCT budget is presented by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to the National Assembly.

Responding to the arguments by both lawmakers, the Senate President explained that going that path would run contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution which allows only a sitting President to present the country’s annual budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.

Lawan also called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration to improve on revenue generation so as to be able to deliver on projects needed to further develop the FCT.

He also charged the Senate Committee on FCT to invite the Minister, Muhammad Bello, so as to review the performance of the FCTA in the 2019 fiscal year.