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FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) can now utilize the territory’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR for the development of the nation’s capital, as President Bola Tinubu pulled it out of the Treasury Single Account, (TSA).
A move that will effectively pave the way for the Nyesom Wike-led FCTA to utilize the territory’s Internally Generated Revenue, IGR for the development of the nation’s capital.
The Minister of FCT, Barr. Nyesom Wike who dropped this hint at a news conference Friday in Abuja, disclosed that the President has approved the creation of the FCT Civil Service Commission to allow for staff career progression.
Wike applauded President Tinubu, for the political will to implement what others were afraid to do.
He said, “Central Bank cannot give us loans, and even the IGR is spent as they come, which you cannot tangibly do anything with.
“I said to Mr. President if you want FCT to really carry out its developmental projects and infrastructure, then it must come out of TSA. We (FCT Administration) are not a revenue-generating agency of the Federal Government, then what financial linkages are you blocking”
The revenue comes in, and it will go to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). And we need money to do projects, I can’t go to the Central Bank to give us money, and can’t go to the commercial banks, they will ask how do you pay back. So, I said we must pull out, that’s the only way, we can survive it.
“Mr. President graciously agreed with us and approved that we should pull out from the Single Treasury Account. You will see that from next year it will be projected upon projects in FCT, and what you saw in Port Harcourt, Abuja would be something else. So for us, it is one of the happiest days, and we have to thank Mr. President for his foresight.
“People will kick against it, but it is not personal, it is about the growth of the city, the welfare of the civil servants and the interest of the women – our mothers, sisters and wives.
“The struggle to pull the FCT Administration out of our Treasury Single Account (TSA) began as far back as the former President Buhari-led administration.
Many welcomed the signing into law by President Muhammadu Buhari who assented to the Act passed by the parliament in 2018 because it was well-intentioned, but its implementation met its cull de sac when put vis-a-vis with the provisions in the 1999 Constitution as regards the creation of the Federal Civil Service Commission.
“The fact is that the Federal Capital Territory Administration came into existence on the 31st December 2004 by the proclamation of the Federal Capital Territory (Establishment of Functionaries and Departments) and Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Dissolution Order No.1, 2004 otherwise known as “Order 1, 2004″.
“The Order 1, 2004 also dissolved the erstwhile Ministry of the Federal Capital Administration, abolished the position of the Permanent Secretary and created Mandate Secretariats which are to function as Ministries in states and some Agencies.
“The Order 1, 2004 had been operational in the administration of the FCT with some modifications anticipated in Section 14 which provides inter alia that “the Minister may, with the approval of the President, modify or amend this order as he may deem necessary in furtherance of the efficient execution of the intention expressed in the preamble hereto.
“In the course of time and based on necessity, the Office of the Permanent Secretary was restored since 2005 in appreciation of the fact that the administration of the FCT as provided in Section 302 is a Ministerial System where the President in exercise of the provision and powers conferred upon him by the section 147 of this Constitution, appoint for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja a Minister who shall exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be delegated to him by the President from time to time.
“For how many years this fight has been on, but in how many months, Mr. President has done it.The essence of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
“One of the reasons that I accepted to work with Mr. President is because he has the capacity and political will to do those things that people are afraid of doing.
“The problem of this country is leadership, so many people don’t want to take action as they believe that some people will be angry. There is no action you take that everybody will be happy. But what is important is that you are guided by law and your conscience.
With the Renewed Hope Agenda, Barr. Wike said, Civil Servants in the FCTA, the Civil Service Commission law is being implemented by the Tinubu-led administration.
“Civil Servants in the FCTA stagnated because they could only become directors and not rise to permanent secretaries. Before now, the then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had as Acting President signed a law to create the FCT Civil Service Commission to allow for career progression, but the law has never been implemented.
“So, I went to Mr President and explained why we had to implement it in his administration and so he has graciously approved the creation of the Commission.
“Mr President has also approved the creation of a secretariat for women. You can imagine having an Administration as large as this and there is no Secretariat for women. So, the president has approved the creation of a Mandate Secretariat for Women Affairs just like we have the Ministry of Women Affairs in the states”.
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