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N608 billion 2022 FCT Appropriation Bill passed for second reading in Senate
The Senate on Wednesday passed for a second reading the N608 billion 2022 Appropriation Bill for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
This was after a debate on the general principles of a Bill for an Act to authourise the issue from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Fund Consolidated Revenue Fund of the FCT Administration Account, the total sum of N607,952,023,580.
Leading the debate on the bill, the Senate Leader, Senator Abdullahi Gobir said “the sum of N76,569, 904,857 is for personnel cost, the sum of 138,199,851,110 is for overhead costs, while the balance of N393,182,267,614 is for capital projects commencing from January 1st and ending December 31st, 2022..
“The fundamental thrust of the FCT 2022 statutory Appropriation Bill is to ensure an effective and enduring service oriented administration for the completion of ongoing projects and the provision of effective services to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory.”
Appraising the 2021 FCT budget, Gobir said, “in 2021 fiscal year ,the FCT Administration received an appropriation of N329,963,491,533 as its statutory appropriation.
“During the year 2021 a total sum of N74,139,912,,289.48 was spent on Personnel costs, representing 100%. The sum of N52,737,261,744.00 was expended on overhead cost, representing 679%, while the sum of N72,730,869,849.00 representing 39% was expended on capital projects.”
He noted that the FCT Administration had been confronted with enormous infrastructure and socio economic challenges by virtue of being the Capital of the nation.
“The FCT population is growing in leaps and bounds. This has over stretched and strained infrastructure and amenities, and thereby slowing down development and growth.
“Furthermore, service delivery has also been adversely affected. Cleaning up the city is becoming more challenging. The few hospitals are fast loosing their essence.
“Also, the standard in the public school system are falling by the day. The population of pupils and students in the public schools is growing daily as parents from across the country are bringing their children and wards to the FCT.
“The FCT requires a minimum of a trillion naira to resuscitate and complete abandoned and ongoing projects within the districts that have so far developed or partially developed”.
Before the bill passed for a second reading, the Senate frowned at the late submission of the FCT 2022 budget for consideration and approval.
It consequently directed that the 2023 budget for the FCT be submitted within one week or risked having zero allocation in 2023.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said it was sad and unfortunate that a budget for the year 2022 was presented in October, 2022.
Lawan charged the Senate Committee on FCT to liaise with the FCT authority to ensure timely presentation of of its 2023 budget.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed that the representatives of the petitioners seeking to recall the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District have now provided their contact details.
In a statement on Wednesday, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said:
“The contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission.”
He added that INEC has formally notified the senator about the recall petition.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address,” Olumekun stated.
He further explained that the same letter had been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.
Speaking on the next step, Olumekun said INEC would now verify the signatures to ensure that more than 50% of registered voters in Kogi Central signed the petition.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission,” he said.
Olumekun reassured Nigerians that the recall process would be conducted in an open and transparent manner.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, has commended his principal for assenting to South West and South – South Development Commissions Bills as well as the Nigeria Anti – Doping Bill 2025.
Senator Lado who made the commendation in a personally signed statement, described presidential assets to the bills as monumental milestone and testament to visionary leadership and national progress.
The statement reads: “I extend my warmest congratulations to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for yet another historic achievement his decisive and visionary assent to the South-West Development Commission Bill, the South-South Development Commission Bill, and the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025.
“These landmark legislations are a clear reflection of President Tinubu’s relentless commitment to inclusive governance, equitable progress, and Nigeria’s emergence as a global powerhouse.
“His Excellency has once again demonstrated that leadership is not merely about policies—it is about impact, legacy, and a deep-rooted dedication to uplifting every citizen.
“By signing into law the establishment of the South-West and South-South Development Commissions, President Tinubu has reaffirmed his role as a transformational leader who prioritizes regional empowerment, economic expansion, and infrastructural excellence.
Building on the foundation of his earlier assent to the South-East and North -West Development Commissions, it is evident that President Tinubu is deliberate in bringing development across all regions.
“These commissions will serve as catalysts for industrial growth, job creation, and social advancement—ensuring that every corner of Nigeria benefits from his administration’s progressive vision. This is the mark of a true statesman—one who understands that a nation’s strength lies in its ability to uplift all regions without bias.
“In the same vein, the Nigeria Anti-Doping Bill, 2025 is yet another bold step that solidifies Nigeria’s commitment to fairness, excellence, and integrity in global sports.
“President Tinubu has once again positioned Nigeria as a nation of high ethical standards, ensuring that our athletes compete on the world stage with honor and credibility. By domesticating the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sports, his administration has safeguarded the future of Nigerian sports, protecting our athletes from unfair practices while reinforcing our global reputation as a country that upholds integrity.
“This momentous occasion underscores President Tinubu’s unmatched leadership—one that is proactive, decisive, and deeply attuned to the needs and aspirations of the Nigerian people.
His ability to enact groundbreaking policies that foster unity, drive economic prosperity, and elevate our international standing speaks volumes of his unwavering dedication to national transformation”.
News
BREAKING: Key contact details missing in petition to recall Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has acknowledged receiving a petition for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District but noted that key contact details of the petitioners were missing.
In a press release signed by Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, the commission stated that the petition was submitted with six bags of documents containing signatures from more than half of the 474,554 registered voters in the district.
However, the covering letter only provided a general location, “Okene, Kogi State,” without a specific address or multiple contact numbers as required by INEC’s regulations.
INEC emphasized that the recall process is guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and its 2024 Regulations and Guidelines for Recall.
The commission assured that once the petition meets all requirements, it will proceed with verifying the signatures using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in an open process involving petitioners, observers, and the media.
INEC is currently making efforts to reach the petitioners through other means and urged the public to disregard speculation on social media regarding the recall process.
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