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Senate Steps Down N98.5bn FCT Supplementary Budget For Lacking Details

Published

1 year ago

June 6, 2024

The Senate has stepped down the consideration of the N98.5bn Federal Capital Territory Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2024.

The resolution stemmed from arguments by Senators that the supplementary budget lacked a profile, including budget performance, sources of revenue, and target areas where the money would be spent.

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who presented the bill for consideration on Wednesday, said the FCT 2024 Statutory Supplementary Appropriation Bill seeks to authorise the issuance from the Federal Capital Territory Administration Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Administration Account, the total sum of N98.5bn only “to accommodate additional inflow from Internally Generated Revenue, resulting to a revised total FCT-IRS 2024 Statutory Revenue Appropriation to the sum of N348.720bn.

“The FCT 2024 supplementary budget is to consolidate the magnitude and scope of the ongoing projects simultaneously within the city centre and across the six Area Councils in the Territory to ensure that the vision of the renewed hope mantra for a befitting capital city for Nigeria and Nigerians is accordingly achieved.”

Lending his voice to contribute to the debate, Ede Dafione (APC, Delta Central) stated that the supplementary budget lacked a breakdown of items and associated costs and called for explanations before the bill would scale second reading.

“I would like to note that the supplementary budget presented before us here does not give us any clarification on the revenue proposed or the usage of the funds. We are given two generic headings of a total revenue proposal of N98.5bn and a total expenditure proposal of N98.5 bn.

“I want to suggest that some further clarifications should be required to enable this House to know exactly where the revenue was generated from and also how the expenditure would be made so that we can approve both the revenue and the expenditure,” Dafione said.

Also speaking, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) said there was no need to debate a budget lacking in essentials.

He said, “I am not against this budget, but I feel when we are presenting budgets like this, we should do them in the right way so that posterity will also judge us right.

“When we are presenting a budget, it is supposed to come with a profile or a breakdown of what the expenditure is, what the source of the revenue is, what the performance of the previous budget is and then from there, we deliberate on it.

“But if it is going to be committed to the committee level, then we are not supposed to debate it at plenary.”

Ruling on the contributions, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said, “The Leader of the Senate (Bamidele), you have heard these observations. There is nothing before us to debate.”

In a bid to forge a way forward, Bamidele moved that the bill be withdrawn until the details are ready and made available to the Senators on the floor of the red chamber.

“Without any reservation, I agree with the observation made by distinguished Senator Sani Musa and of course through the voice vote of our colleagues.

“It is our tradition in parliament that when a money bill is presented, the agency that is bringing it through the relevant committee would attach the breakdown of the proposed budget estimates.

“I think it’s important that we do the proper thing. What I will suggest is that for the details of the breakdown to be presented, the chairman should be allowed to go and make photocopies so that every Senator here will have a copy, ” Bamidele said.

The bill was thus, stood down for consideration in a yet-to-be-announced legislative day.

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

8 hours ago

September 21, 2025

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JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

13 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

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JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

13 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.