FCT Minister Says Funding Project Requires Improved IGR

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Musa Bello, has emphasised the need to improve Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the country’s capital for adequate funding of projects.

Bello disclosed this on Monday at the inauguration of South Parkway road, a project under the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

The minister said that to effectively execute projects within the FCT, all stake holders must contribute their quota to the realization of revenue target, particularly land administration.

According to Bello, the FCT would leverage on ICT to curb revenue leakages that would arise within the system.

While addressing issues on the level of assurance for sustained funding of the signature projects in the FCT, the minister assured that the funding from the federal allocation, 2020 budget and the IGR would sustain the projects.

He however said that “to a very large extent, we have no control over the very first two, the first one is constitutional, it depends on what monies the Federal Government gets based on its own income.

“The second one which is the federal budget- we have to share from a basket together with other Federal Ministries and obviously we have no control over that.”

He however expressed optimism that the FCT has control over its IGR.

He said the ministry was going to be firm in recovering debts owed in respect to land administration.

Bello disclosed that the FCT would explore laws within its reach to recover the debts.

According to him, “we have a lot of leakages, many residents do not pay what they are supposed to pay, whether it is for waste collection or it’s for water consumed.

“This has to do with structural and systemic problems within the system and gradually we are working on them and we are going to levearge on ICT to make sure it is done.”

Bello urged newsmen to enlighten residents within the FCT on the need to co-operate with the ministry.

“What I will appeal to you our partners in progress-members of the press is that this city is for us all.

“I want to appeal to you to partner with the FCT administration, do a lot of publicity on our behalf, try to make the citizens also appreciate that in building and developing a city, the relationship has to be very cooperative,” he said.