During his appearance before the House Committee on FCT on Monday to justify the N1.1 trillion budget allocation for his ministry, Wike emphasized the necessity of a security vote to address the escalating insecurity in Nigeria’s capital.
The security vote, often criticized for its lack of transparency and susceptibility to corruption, has been a contentious issue, frequently exploited by state governors for discretionary spending.
Wike illustrated the practicality of the security vote with an example, stating that as a governor, urgent security operations might demand immediate funding without bureaucratic hurdles, such as obtaining approval from accountants.
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Despite his reputation as a firm administrator during his tenure as governor of Rivers State, Wike expressed frustration with the administrative obstacles he faces as the minister of the FCT.
However, the lawmakers did not commit to approving his request for the security vote.
Wike has faced criticism over the recent surge in insecurity within the territory, particularly concerning the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers targeting residents.
Following a meeting with the Senate, Wike asserted that the security situation in the city had notably improved.
Wike’s proposed budget amounts to N1.14 trillion, with N500 billion expected from commercial banks and an estimated internally generated revenue of N637 billion.
Regarding expenditure, the ministry plans to allocate N726.3 billion to capital expenditure and N421 billion to recurrent expenditure.
Wike also addressed the rise in the ministry’s personnel costs, attributing it to provisions for political appointees’ salaries and adjustments
On the expenditure side, the ministry is proposing to spend N726.3 billion on capital expenditure and N421 billion on recurrent expenditure.
“The sum of N140 billion, representing 12.28 per cent is proposed for personnel costs for the year 2024, compared to an appropriation of the sum of N99.5billion in the year 2023. This shows an increase of the sum Of N41 billion (29 per cent ) as against the revised 2023 Appropriation.
“The increase is to accommodate the emolument of the appointed Mandate Secretaries and other political appointees of the administration, payment of staff promotion arrears, peculiar allowance, and staff wage award arrears,” he said.