FCTA to spend N2bn on VIPs’ residences,

N/Assembly car park

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will spend N1 billion to construct the official residences of top government functionaries within the territory this year.

The administration will also spend another N1bn for the construction of a multilevel car park at the National Assembly complex.

This was part of the FCTA’s N40.2bn budget proposal for 2018 under the national budget.

Speaking while defending the proposal yesterday, the Permanent Secretary of the FCT Ministry, Chinyeaka Oha, said the administration would also spend N1bn each on the rehabilitation of the Federal Secretariat Phase 1 and construction of a cultural centre and millennium tower.

He told members of the House of Representatives Committee on FCT headed by the deputy chairman, Sergius Ogun (PDP, Edo) that FCTA had also earmarked N4bn for rehabilitation and provision of additional security measure for the United Nations (UN) Building.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the FCTA Appropriation (Amendment) Bill 2018.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

“The Act amends the Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Act 2017 and extends the implementation period of the Federal Capital Appropriation Act 2017 from 31st December, 2017 to 31st March, 2018 or until the coming into force of the Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Act 2018, whichever is earlier.

“This Assent now extends the life of the F.C.T Appropriation Act and the Administration can now continue implementing projects and programmes in accordance with the 2017 Act assented to in December, 2017,” the statement read.