The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Wednesday, said he has hired 24 Senior Advocates of Nigeria ( SANs) to handle about 800 land-related cases pending in the FCT administration.
This development came on the heels of speculation that lawyers employed by FCTA have not been diligent in prosecuting land litigation for the administration.
This has also confirmed the allegation that the lawyers in the Legal Services Secretariat of FCTA have been trading with the administration’s litigation, leading to huge judgment debts.
Wike reiterated his decision on hiring SANs when he appeared before the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on FCT at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
On the supplementary budget of ₦61.6 billion in 2023, the Minister said it was to accommodate additional inflows comprising receipts from Paris Club Refund, Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Tax Liabilities, and Special Intervention Funds.
Other sources are Internationally Generated Revenue (IGR) and the Infrastructure Support Fund, leading to a revised budget of ₦641.3 billion as against the ₦579.7 billion earlier budgeted for the 2023 financial year.
According to him, the funds would be channelled toward the completion of priority projects in the infrastructure sector.
He said, ” In order to complete prioritised projects and programmes, I planned to apply a funding plan that guarantees payments to the contractors on a monthly basis, following payment of mobilisation as applicable.
“Balances thereon, are to be paid through the issuance of Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) against the IGR of the FCT Administration.
“Unfortunately, provisions for some of the projects identified as priority are either insufficient or not provided in the FCT 2023 Statutory Appropriation,” he said.
Providing the breakdown of the supplementary budget, the minister said that ₦25.8 billion was from the Paris Club Refund, and ₦14.3 billion was a refund of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System/PAYE tax liabilities.
Others are five billion naira as a special intervention fund, ₦9,4 billion IGR, and seven billion naira from the infrastructure support fund, amounting to ₦61.6 billion.
