Members of the National Assembly have lauded Nyesom Wike‘s performance as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The lawmakers gave the commendation when Wike appeared before them to defend the ₦1.78 trillion FCT Statutory Budget proposal for the 202 fiscal year, on Wednesday.
Naijaonpoint reports that All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers commended the infrastructural development of the FCT.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Ibrahim Bomai, commended Wike for the wonderful performance in just a short time as FCT minister, along with the Minister of State for FCT, Mariya Mahmoud.
Bomai said he was impressed with the FCT’s 2025 revenue and fiscal framework, stating, “This is the first time FCT is proposing to generate about ₦1.7 trillion.”
“What FCT has presented is one of the best budgets so far.
“Also, the ₦608 billion projected Internally Generated Revenue for 2025 also shows a significant improvement,” he said.
Also, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP), commended the minister for the comprehensive turnaround of Abuja as Nigeria’s capital city.
Ningi, who equates the current status of the FCT with Johannesburg and Cairo, however, urged the minister to do more to improve the security in the territory.
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South APC) said: “Everybody that knows where Abuja was two years ago and what it is now, knows that you have done well.
“Even yesterday my friend told me that Wike is doing fine, and I said no, it is the Senate that is doing fine because without approving his budget, he cannot do anything.”
Ndume pledged the continued support of the Senate to enable him to succeed.
On his part, Senator Osita Ozunaso (Imo West, APC) said that the FCT budget performance was commendable, particularly the reduction in personnel cost to allocate more funds to capital projects.
“Whenever we are sitting on budgets, people come here and they increase the personnel cost, but you have reduced the personnel cost in the 2025 proposed budget by N21 billion from the amount allocated in 2024.
“Secondly, you have more capital expenditure than recurrent. This is commendable,” Ozunaso said.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North, APC) described Wike as one of the best ministers under the APC administration.
Oshiomhole noted that too much money was being spent on overhead with very little available for infrastructure, “what Wike has done is worth noting and commendation“.
On her part, Senator Ireti Kingibe (FCT, LP), also commended the minister for the visible performance, which she said was indisputable.
Earlier, at the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Committee on FCT, Muktar Betara, commended Wike for the ongoing transformation of the nation’s capital.
During the budget defence, Wike appealed to the lawmakers to approve the ₦1.78 trillion FCT Statutory Budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year.
He explained that out of the ₦1.78 trillion, ₦1.28 trillion was earmarked for capital projects, representing 72.3 per cent, while ₦494.1 billion was set aside for recurrent expenditure, representing 27.7 per cent.
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