National Assembly members have praised Nyesom Wike’s work as the Federal Capital Territory’s (FCT) minister.
Wike’s appearance before the lawmakers on Wednesday to defend the ₦1.78 trillion FCT Statutory Budget proposal for the fiscal year 2021 drew praise from them.
According to reports, lawmakers from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), and All Progressives Congress (APC) praised the FCT’s infrastructure development.
Together with FCT Minister Mariya Mahmoud, Senate Committee on FCT Chairman Senator Ibrahim Bomai praised Wike for his outstanding performance in his brief tenure as FCT minister.
The FCT’s 2025 income and fiscal framework impressed Bomai, who remarked, “This is the first time FCT is proposing to generate about ₦1.7 trillion.” To date, FCT’s budget has been among the best.
Additionally, he stated that the estimated ₦608 billion in internal revenue for 2025 represents a notable improvement.
Additionally, Senator Abdul Ningi of the PDP’s Bauchi Central praised the minister for the thorough transformation of Abuja into Nigeria’s capital.
But Ningi, who compares the FCT’s current state to that of Cairo and Johannesburg, encouraged the minister to take further action to strengthen neighborhood security.
“You have done well,” stated Senator Ali Ndume of the Borno South APC, who is aware of the current state of Abuja and its location two years ago.
“Even yesterday, my friend told me that Wike was doing well.” I responded that the Senate was doing well since Wike couldn’t accomplish anything without the Senate’s approval of his budget.
In order to help him succeed, Ndume promised the Senate’s ongoing support.
Senator Osita Ozunaso of the APC’s Imo West noted that the FCT budget performance was excellent, especially the decrease in human costs that allowed for more money to be allocated to capital projects.
“People often try to raise the cost of staff while we are sitting on budgets, but you have cut that cost by N21 billion in the projected budget for 2025 compared to the amount allotted in 2024.
Second, you have more capital spending than ongoing expenses. This deserves praise,” Ozunaso remarked.
Adams Oshiomhole, an APC senator from Edo North, called Wike one of the outstanding ministers in the APC government.
While there was little money available for infrastructure, Oshiomhole pointed out that “what Wike has done is worth noting and commendation” because too much money was being wasted on overhead.
Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT, LP) also praised the minister for the performance, saying it was unquestionable by appearance.
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Wike’s continuous makeover of the nation’s capital was praised by Muktar Betara, the Chairman of the Committee on FCT, earlier in the House of Representatives.
In the budget defense, Wike urged the lawmakers to accept the 2025 fiscal year’s ₦1.78 trillion FCT Statutory Budget plan.
He clarified that ₦1.28 trillion, or 72.3%, of the ₦1.78 trillion was allocated for capital projects, and ₦494.1 billion, or 27.7%, was meant for ongoing expenses.
