President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday presented the proposed ₦1.783 trillion statutory appropriation bill for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the Senate for approval in the 2025 financial year.

In a communication addressed to the upper chamber, President Tinubu urged the Senate to expedite the consideration of the bill, emphasizing that its swift passage was crucial to ensuring an effective and service-oriented administration for FCT residents.

In response to the President’s request, the Senate invoked Order 78 to allow the bill to undergo its second reading on the same day it was introduced.

However, the accelerated process sparked debate, as Senator Abdul Ningi, an opposition lawmaker, raised concerns over the procedure.

Naija News reports that Senator Ningi pointed out that lawmakers had not been provided with copies of the bill prior to the debate, citing potential procedural irregularities under Order 77 (3 and 4).

Despite the concerns, the Senate proceeded with the debate on the general principles of the FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill for the 2025 fiscal year.

Leading the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the bill seeks to authorise the issuance of ₦1,783,823,708,392.00 trillion from the FCT Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund to finance personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year, from January 1 to December 31.

The proposed budget is divided into three main categories: ₦150.35 billion for personnel costs, ₦343.78 billion for overhead costs, and ₦1.29 trillion allocated for capital projects.

Bamidele emphasized that the primary objective of the budget is to ensure an effective and service-driven administration, with a strong focus on completing ongoing projects with significant infrastructure and essential service impacts in Abuja.

He further highlighted that the budget also includes the continuation of vital ongoing projects in the FCT while introducing new initiatives deemed necessary for the territory’s development.