The Minister of the Nigerian Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has appealed to the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to work out a specific funding mechanism for the FCT.
This appeal was made when members of the Commission’s Indices and Disbursement Committee, led by its Chairman, Dr Chris Akomas, paid a courtesy visit to the FCTA.
This, the Minister said, will to enable the FCT Administration meet its infrastructural development objective for the FCT.
The Minister also explained that Abuja was one of the fastest growing cities in the world with an annual population growth of between 7% and 9%.
He further informed members of the RMAFC that the FCT currently has an approximate population of 6 million people as against the 2.5 million envisaged by the masterplan at its present stage of development.
The Minister continued “So, everything is grossly overstretched and that’s why the FCT Administration, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, decided that we continue to emphasize on completing ongoing infrastructural projects in the road, rail and water sectors”
Mallam Bello also revealed that with the number of infrastructural development projects currently going on in the FCT, funding remains a challenge.
Bello noted that, “As the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, it is your national duty to create a special funding mechanism that is not against the constitution that makes sure that these works in progress are done because as you know, we are considered under section 299 of the Constitution as if we were a state”.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr Chris Akomas informed the FCT Minister that his team was in the FCTA on an advocacy and sensitization visit to seek the cooperation of the FCT Administration to enable it discharge its duties, one of which is the collation of accurate and reliable data.
Dr Akomas said members of the Commission had visited all the states of the Federation including the Ministries of Education, and Water Resources as well as the National Boundaries Commission, National Population Commission and other government agencies.
He said, “We are visiting all these places because we are talking of data and we are looking forward to data integrity”.
Also present at the event were the Permanent Secretary FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, the Chief of Staff to the FCT Minister, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu and the Director, Department of Economic Planning Research and Statistics, Alh Mohammed Lawal amongst other senior staff of the FCTA and RMAFC.
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