The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammad Bello, Thursday expressed concern that the nation’s capital may soon become a mega slum if there was not proper funding to develop the city.
The minister spoke in Abuja at the national public hearing on the review of the 1999 constitution, organized by the Senate Constitution Review Committee.
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He said thousands of people were trooping into the FCT and those who have arrived don’t want t to leave, a situation that has overstretched the inadequate facilities available.
Bello said 41 years after the creation of FCT, the city’s development was still a work in progress.
He said the FCT is comprised 196 districts, out of which 92 are within the Federal Capital City (FCC).
He said that of the 92 districts in the FCC, only 10 have been developed, 12 partially developed and 70 undeveloped.
He therefore called for a special funding that will be guaranteed by the constitution for the development of the federal capital city.
The minister expressed fear that if there was no clearly defined funding source for FCC development, with the number of people relocating to the nation’s capital, Abuja may become a mega slum in the nearest future.
He also called for a constitutional amendment to clearly demarcate FCC from the area councils to avoid overlapping of functions especially tax collection.
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