By Hudu Yakubu, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, revealed that the FCTA is considering providing transportation and food supplies support to residents using the N5 billion palliative received from the Federal Government.
Wike made this announcement in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with contractors involved in various projects in the FCT.
On August 17, the Federal Government announced that each state in the federation, including the FCT, would receive N5 billion in palliatives to help alleviate the impact of the removal of the petrol subsidy.
However, the minister stated that the FCT was initially excluded from the N5 billion palliative until he wrote a memo informing President Bola Tinubu of the situation.
He further revealed that Tinubu has approved the amount, and while other states have already received N2 billion, he expressed confidence that the FCT will soon receive its allocation.
“But we are yet to decide on what to do with the N2 billion palliative. We have not determined any specific area yet.
“Should we focus on food? However, we believe that transportation is very crucial, especially urban mass transit.
“People want convenient transportation to reach their destinations. If we provide them with rice today, what about transportation tomorrow?
“So, we have yet to finalize how the funds will be utilized, but I believe food support and transportation are of utmost importance,” he said.
The minister added that efforts were underway to reintroduce urban mass transportation to alleviate the transportation challenges faced by the masses.
