The National Assembly has speedily passed the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill within 48 hours to fund the new minimum wage, according to Senator Ali Ndume, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation.
President Bola Tinubu submitted the budget to the National Assembly on Tuesday, and the federal parliament adjusted its rules to ensure that the bill was passed for both first and second readings.
The bill was referred to the committees on Appropriation in the two chambers, who worked on it on Wednesday and presented their reports on Thursday, which were deliberated upon and approved.
Ndume explained to journalists on Saturday that the National Assembly accelerated the budget passage due to certain national interests, including the new minimum wage.
He said that the increase in fuel prices, costs of essential services, and food items following the withdrawal of fuel subsidy had led to workers embarking on strikes on numerous occasions.
“At the end of the negotiations between the organized labor unions and the federal government, the labor and the federal government agreed that workers would be paid N35,000 in addition to their minimum wage,” Ndume said. “If N35,000 is paid to each of the over 1.5 million workers, the amount is huge. The money was captured in the supplementary budget.”
