The Senate on Wednesday passed for second reading the 2025 Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Appropriation Bill totaling N1.7 trillion, as presented by President Bola Tinubu.
Leading the debate at plenary, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC-Ekiti), moved for the suspension of Standing Rule 7(1) to allow for the second reading of the bill, which had earlier passed first reading.
Bamidele explained that the bill seeks to authorise the withdrawal of N1.7 trillion from the FCT statutory revenue fund to finance operations in the capital territory.
He stated that the budget aims to foster a service-oriented administration, ensure the completion of ongoing projects, and deliver quality services to residents of the FCT.
According to him, N150 billion is allocated for personnel costs, N343 billion for overheads, while the bulk of the budget — N1.2 trillion — is earmarked for capital projects.
“Emphasis is placed on the completion of ongoing projects, particularly those with high impact on the provision of services and infrastructure to FCT residents,” Bamidele said. “However, a few new projects that are considered absolutely necessary have also been included.”
He appealed to his colleagues for the bill’s speedy passage.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno) expressed satisfaction with the budget’s focus on ongoing projects.
Senator Oyelola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) described the bill as a balanced document, highlighting its 70 per cent capital and 30 per cent recurrent expenditure structure.
Similarly, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC-Lagos) praised the budget’s developmental nature due to its strong capital allocation but noted that “there is the need for the Senate to know the source of financing the budget, especially the capital component.”
On his part, Senator Victor Umeh (LP-Anambra) commended the current facelift of the FCT, attributing it to “the massive infrastructure development by the Minister of FCT, Mr. Nyesom Wike and his team.”
Umeh, however, stressed the importance of extending infrastructure to adjoining communities within the territory to help curb rising accommodation costs in Abuja.
Following the deliberations, Senate President Godswill Akpabio referred the bill to the Committee on FCT for further legislative work, directing the committee to report back within one week.
