The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, Nyesom Wike, has asked the Senate to authorize a security vote for the territory to address its security issues.

Wike made this plea while appearing before the Senate Committees on FCT and Area Councils to defend the N1.1 trillion budget of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, for the 2024 fiscal year.

Abuja has recently experienced a sudden increase in kidnappings, armed robberies and killings.

The Minister further stated the importance of approving the security vote, further stressing that the FCTA needs to enable security agencies to tackle threats promptly without compromising sensitive security information.

Wike also disclosed his success in bargaining the Abuja light rail contract, saving $53 million by reducing the operation cost from $128 million to $75 million.

He pinned he delays in public projects on the inflated government contracts and the prudent use of Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, to fund projects while awaiting the release of main capital budgets to prevent unnecessary variations sought by contractors.