Reps Quiz FCT Minister of State Bunkure Over Failure to Defend Area Councils’ 2025 Budget

The House of Representatives on Tuesday grilled the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Bunkure, for failing to defend the 2025 budget proposals for FCT Area Councils and agencies under her supervision.

The session, held by the House Committee on Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, was presided over by its Chairman, Hon. Fred Agbedi, who expressed dissatisfaction that the Minister had not appeared before the appropriate committee to defend the allocations for her departments.

Agbedi clarified that while the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had defended the overarching N1.78 trillion 2025 statutory budget for the FCT before a joint committee last week, that presentation did not cover the area councils and entities under Dr. Bunkure’s jurisdiction.

“The areas the President assigned to you are under our oversight,” Agbedi stated. “Only you can speak to their budget performance and projections, which is why you must appear before this committee.”

He warned that bypassing the committee could mislead the House into approving a budget without proper legislative scrutiny.

“It is this committee, and not the one Wike appeared before, that is responsible for reviewing and recommending your budget to the House,” he added.

In his contribution, Hon. Ahmad Jaha, Chairman of the House Committee on Insurance and Actuarial Matters, emphasized that from their perspective, the FCT had yet to properly defend its budget, as no member of the Area Councils Committee was present during Wike’s presentation.

“This time around, it will not be business as usual,” Jaha said. “We will go through each department, line by line.”

He asked the Minister to propose a new date for her appearance, warning that any delay could jeopardize the budget’s timely passage.

“Failure to adhere to the agreed date could push the approval process into December,” he cautioned.

Another lawmaker stressed the legal implications of approving spending outside the appropriated budget, noting that any agency operating without legislative approval could be liable for illegal expenditures.

When asked about the total amount proposed for the departments under her supervision, Dr. Bunkure was unable to provide a definitive figure. She requested more time to gather the necessary details.

Earlier, the Minister apologized for her failure to appear at the committee’s initial invitation, attributing her absence to short notice.

She appealed for an extension to adequately prepare for the budget defence — a request the committee granted, directing her to reappear on Monday, June 2, 2025, with all relevant agencies under her purview.