The committee mandated FCT minister of state, Mrs. Bunkure, to defend her 2025 budget separately from what was earlier presented by the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike
The House of Representatives Committee on Area Councils and Ancillary Matters has declared that the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Bunkure, is yet to defend the portion of the 2025 FCT budget under her jurisdiction.
This is despite an earlier presentation by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
Last Wednesday, Wike appeared before the joint Senate and House Committees on the FCT to defend the proposed N1.78 trillion statutory budget for the territory.
However, during a separate budget session on Tuesday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, Rep Fredrick Agbedi, clarified that Bunkure’s appearance was still pending, as the responsibilities under her supervision were not part of Wike’s submission.
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This came after Bunkure stated that she had assumed Wike’s presentation covered the entirety of the budget.
“The areas the president assigned to you are also under our oversight,” Agbedi told her. “It is only you who can speak to their budget performance and projections. That is why you are expected to appear before this committee.”
He further emphasized that Wike’s defence was limited to departments under his direct oversight, which fall under the jurisdiction of a different committee.
“You are the one mandated to defend the budget of these areas before this committee,” Agbedi stressed. “The Minister [Wike] oversees jurisdictions under the FCT Committee, which does not include your departments. We, however, have oversight over your area of responsibility.”
Highlighting the importance of legislative oversight, he added: “When we carried out our oversight functions, it was not on the responsibilities of the minister. We need to know what was appropriated to you, how it was spent, what challenges were encountered, and what provisions to make for 2025.”
“These are two separate and distinct committees with different mandates and membership,” he noted. “It is your responsibility to budget for, execute, and oversee the agencies and departments under your jurisdiction, and then interface with this committee.”
Agbedi also warned that bypassing the committee could mislead the House into approving a budget that hasn’t undergone the necessary scrutiny.
“It is only this committee that can consider and recommend your budget to the House for final passage,” he maintained. “You must appear with the relevant agencies under your purview to defend their budget before us.”
Backing Agbedi’s position, Rep. Ahmad Jaha, a member of the committee, stated that as far as the committee is concerned, the FCT’s 2025 budget has not yet been properly defended.
“No member of this committee was present at the session where the Minister [Wike] defended the budget,” he said.
He urged the minister of state to propose a new date for her proper appearance.
“We are giving you the privilege to suggest a convenient time so we can check our schedule. It’s going to take at least two or three days,” Jaha said. “This time around, it won’t be business as usual. We will go through each department, scrutinize their performance and projections—one after the other.”
He also cautioned that any further delay could derail the approval process.
“If you fail to adhere to the agreed date, it won’t be our fault if your budget approval is delayed, possibly into December,” he warned.
Another member of the committee added that the House would not accept responsibility for any spending not backed by an approved budget.
“The law prohibits spending money that has not been appropriated,” the lawmaker said. “If these agencies and councils don’t receive budgetary approval, they won’t be able to function. We cannot be held accountable for that.”
When asked to state the total amount proposed under her oversight, Bunkure admitted she could not provide an exact figure at the time. She requested additional time to gather data from the relevant departments.
Earlier, she had apologized for missing the committee’s earlier invitation, attributing her absence to short notice. She then appealed for more time to prepare adequately.
In response, the committee granted her request and directed her to reappear for a proper defence on Monday, June 2.
