By Sarah NEGEDU
Members of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, passed the N1.78 trillion 2025 appropriation bill for the Federal Capital Territory after scaling the third reading on the floor of the House.
President Bola Tinubu, had on May 14, 2025, transmitted the budget proposal to the national assembly, requesting expeditious consideration of the budget.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, had during the budget defence on May 21, 2025, explained that a total of N919billion, out of the N1.2trillion earmarked for capital expenditure in the FCT, has been dedicated to the completion of ongoing projects.
According to him the amount which reprents 77 percent of the capital expenditure captured in the budget will help fast track infrastructure development in the territory.
Wike, also told both House and Senate Committees on FCT that N137billion of the budget has also been dedicated to capital projects across rural communities in the six area councils of the FCT.
In his words, “Out of the N1.2billion, N919 billion is dedicated to the ongoing projects which have been there before this administration came. Now, out of this N919billion, the FCDA, which is the engine room of the FCTA in terms of capital projects, is allocated N801 billion.”
He added that, “For capital expenditure, the satellite towns were provided N137 billion for capital projects in the rural areas of the six area councils. As I speak to you, for this second year of Mr president, we have projects for commission in AMAC, in Gwagwalada, in Kwali, in Bwari. Abaji and Kuje.*
While defending the huge allocation to capital project, the minister clarified that most of the projects captured in the budget were not awarded by the current administration, stressing that some of the uncompleted projects doting the FCT were awarded between 2010 to 2023.
“When we mean ongoing projects, it’s not that these projects were awarded by us. Projects that were awarded 2010, 2011, 2019 to 2023. In fact, 90 percent of the ongoing projects are not awarded by this administration.
He said the administration has successfully reduced its overhead costs from N364 billion to N343 billion in 2025, stating that the N21 billion decrease is to shore up funding for capital projects in the FCT.
