The Senate has approved a N2.285 trillion budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration for the 2026 fiscal year, increasing the original proposal by N84 billion while directing the FCTA to provide a comprehensive revenue profile that was conspicuously absent from the appropriation bill presented to lawmakers.
The budget was passed through a voice vote at the Committee of Supply following consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on the FCT, chaired by Senator Austin Akobondu representing Abia Central, who disclosed that the approved sum comprised N165.775 billion for personnel costs, N378.231 billion for overhead expenditure, and N1.741 trillion for capital projects. Capital expenditure accounted for 76.19 percent of the total budget.
The absence of projected revenue sources in the appropriation document drew pointed criticism from several senators, who warned that approving expenditure without a corresponding financing framework created conditions for unregulated borrowing and insufficient legislative oversight. Senator Adetokunbo Abiru questioned where the funding would come from, while Senate Finance Committee Chairman Senator Sani Musa warned that the budget could not be considered fully comprehensive without clear disclosure of anticipated revenue streams.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio agreed that the Senate should be furnished with the FCT’s revenue profile and directed the committee to ensure its submission notwithstanding the passage of the budget. The FCTA’s removal from the Treasury Single Account framework under the Tinubu administration, which gave it direct control over its funds, made legislative visibility into its revenue base more important than ever.
Several senators nevertheless commended FCT Minister Nyesom Wike for ongoing infrastructure transformation across Abuja and satellite towns, with Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin describing the heavy capital allocation as evidence of the minister’s commitment to accelerating development in the national capital.
