Senate passes N1.7 trillion 2025 FCT Abuja Appropriation Bill for second reading 

The bill, which was presented by President Bola Tinubu, aims to support the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory through capital investments and improved service delivery.

The Senate’s decision followed the presentation of the bill’s general principles at plenary on Wednesday by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.

Bamidele, who moved for the suspension of Senate Standing Rule 7(1) to expedite consideration of the bill, explained that the appropriation proposal seeks to authorize withdrawals from the FCT Statutory Revenue Fund to fund personnel, overhead, and capital projects in the territory.

He stated that the 2025 FCT statutory appropriation bill allocates N150 billion for personnel costs and N343 billion for overhead expenses.

The remaining N1.2 trillion is earmarked for capital projects aimed at enhancing infrastructure and service delivery within the Federal Capital Territory.

This implies that over 70% of the budget is allocated to capital expenditure, a move Bamidele said is in line with the administration’s goal of completing ongoing infrastructure projects and delivering essential services to FCT residents.

He added that while the bulk of the resources would go into completing existing projects, a few new but critical projects had also been included.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, several lawmakers who contributed to the debate applauded the capital-heavy nature of the budget and called for its speedy passage.

The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on FCT to revert in a week’s time.