The senate has speedily passed a
supplementary budget of N2 trillion for second reading.
The upper legislative chamber
passed the supplementary appropriation bill after Opeyemi Bamidele, majority
leader of the senate, led a debate on it.
Before debate on the general
principles of the bill, President Bola Tinubu's request for the senate to
consider the budget was read on Tuesday. Afterwards, the legislation scaled
first and second readings.
The development came hours after the house of representatives passed the same bill for another reading.
Tinubu had asked the senate to
"speedily" consider and approve the appropriation bill.
While leading the debate on the
bill, Bamidele said the federal government needed to fund critical needs of the
country.
The supplementary budget would
support the provisional wage of N35,000 to workers, costing the federal
government N210 billion and N400 billion as cash transfers to vulnerable Nigerians,
among others.
The N2.17 trillion supplementary
appropriation bill passed first and second readings during plenary on Tuesday.
At the commencement of plenary,
Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, read President Bola Tinubu's letter
requesting the passage of the supplementary budget.
On Monday, the federal executive
council (FEC) approved the submission of the supplementary budget to the
national assembly.
Atiku Bagudu, minister of budget
and economic planning, who provided a breakdown of the budget, said N605
billion is to be allocated to security and national defence, and N200 billion
is for the agricultural sector.
The minister also said the sum of
N210 billion has been earmarked for federal government workers for the approved
wage awards meant to cover September to December, and N400 billion has been
budgeted for cash transfers to vulnerable and poor Nigerians between October
and November.
'SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET TIMELY
Contributing to the debate,
Jibrin Barau, deputy president of the senate, said the proposed budget is in
line with the policies of the Tinubu administration.
"We are all aware that whenever
a new government comes into office, it is normal to bring a supplementary
budget in line with its policies," he said.
"I therefore call on our
colleagues to support the government by passing this bill. We have security
issues."
On his part, Ali Ndume, chief
whip of the senate, said security challenges need to be addressed.
"There are challenges in
security that need to be addressed. How do we address it? By strengthening
security, by funding. This budget is made to address the short term challenges
facing this country," Ndume said.
The bill passed second reading
after it was put to a voice vote.
REPS PASS SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET
The 2023 supplementary budget has
also passed second reading in the house of representatives.
While moving a motion for the
debate of the bill, Julius Ihonvbere, leader of the house, said the
supplementary appropriation bill is timely, saying it means that the federal
government listens to the yearnings of Nigerians.
The lawmaker said the budget is
targeted at addressing the fiscal challenges facing the country, including
payment of salaries.
He also said the budget will
cover security and infrastructure.
In his contribution, Ben Kalu,
deputy speaker of the house, said the budget will address the gaps created by
some decisions taken by the government.
The deputy speaker said the
appropriation bill is "worthy" of the support of lawmakers.
"I urge you to support it
with everything you hold dear," he said.
Mark Esset from Akwa Ibom said
the lawmakers should ensure that relevant committees of the house monitor the
implementation of the budget to ensure effective utilisation.
Legislators voted in support of
the bill when it was put to a voice vote by Abbas.
Abbas subsequently asked the
committee on appropriations to carry out speedy legislative work on the bill
for ultimate passage.
culled: TheCable
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