FCT minister tasked on budget implementation

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the auspices of the Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Project (AGAP), have urged the FCT minister, Mallam Mohammad Musa Bello, to ensure that residents benefit from the implementation of the recently passed budget.  The chief advocate of the organisation, Comrade Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, in a press briefing on Friday, […]

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), under the auspices of the Abuja Grassroots Advocacy Project (AGAP), have urged the FCT minister, Mallam Mohammad Musa Bello, to ensure that residents benefit from the implementation of the recently passed budget. 

The chief advocate of the organisation, Comrade Yunusa Ahmadu Yusuf, in a press briefing on Friday, commended the efforts of the National Assembly through the Smart Adeyemi-led Senate Committee on FCT, the Senator representing the FCT, Phillip Aduda, the minister and minister of state for their efforts at making sure that the budget was passed despite delay.

“This time around, we want the minister to ensure strict adherence to the implementation of the budget. We want to believe that civil servants who are going to be given this budget for implementation would not abuse their officers.

“They should ensure that the money is used for what the budget is meant, and that the implementation process is strictly adhered to. This is because we have a very short time and the budget is coming almost at the end of the year. 

• 65 Nigerian troops deployed to Mali on stabilisation mission
• 65 Nigerian troops deployed to Mali on stabilisation mission

“We are also calling on all the contractors that would be paid for projects from this budget to ensure that they are completed. We want Nigerians to know that we are strictly monitoring the implementation of the budget because we have a copy of it.

“We will not hesitate to expose any loophole or fraudulent behaviour by anybody, either the appointees or the civil servants who would be given various responsibilities. We want to ensure that the people of FCT are enjoying the dividends of good governance,” he said.

 Yusuf further said the advice became necessary because all the civil society organisations in the FCT were involved and had become watchdogs in their various area councils. He added that they would make sure they follow the budget according to the information made available to them.