The National Assembly, yesterday, passed the 2019 Appropriation Bill, voting the sum of N24.6 billion for the settlement of severance benefits of the outgoing legislators and legislative aides, as well as the cost of induction/orientation and inauguration programmes of the new legislators.

Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara and members of the Eight Assembly are beneficiaries of the severance.

The parliament also approved N160 billion for the payment of the new minimum wage for federal workers and payment of severance benefits.

Under other service-wide votes, item 90 of the Report of the Senate Committee on Appropriation on the 2019 Budget Bill, which reads: “Public service wage adjustment for MDAs (including arrears of promotion and salary increases) and payment of severance benefits” has N160 billion as its budget.

Also, item 88 that reads, “payment of outstanding death benefit to civil servants/police”, has N5 billion for the budget.

The budget, which was passed simultaneously by the Senate and House of Representatives in their separate chambers, had a slight difference in terms of volume. While the House of Representatives approved a total of N8.906 trillion, the Senate passed N8.916 trillion, with a N90 billion increase.

However, both chambers would meet at a conference committee to harmonise the document and adopt a common position.

Barring any last minute delay, the harmonised version will, tomorrow, be transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

The President had, on December 19, 2018, submitted a budget estimate of N8.826 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

In approving the budget, the Senate raised it to the sum of N8.916 trillion as the budget for 2019 fiscal year. The approved sum represents an increase of N90 billion over and above the initial figure submitted to the National Assembly.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Danjuma Goje, who presented the report on the budget at plenary, explained that the increase came as a result of the provision made for the severance benefits of the outgoing legislators and legislative aides, the induction and orientation as well as the inauguration of new legislators.

He noted that the sum of N23 billion was provided to take care of the above expenditure which were not captured in the earlier budget proposal while another N10 billion was earmarked as intervention fund to cushion the effects of activities of bandits in Zamfara State.

Goje affirmed that the N160 billion was to fund the minimum wage increase and severance benefits as stipulated in item 90 of the report.

He, however, stated that if the amount budgeted failed to meet the demand, the Federal Government could present a supplementary budget to cover the shortfall.

The National Minimum Wage Bill, which was passed by the lower and upper house on January 29 and March 19 respectively, was signed into law by President Buhari on April 18.

oje also hinted that after serious consultations, the Appropriation Committee decided to make marginal increases on the initial allocations to security agencies, to enhance their performance in the face of aggravating security situations in the country.

He said that the 2019 budget was aimed at consolidating the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the present administration.

He disclosed that in considering the budget, the committee passed the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) approved by the National Assembly.

The key parameters of the budget proposed by the Executive included a benchmark oil price of $60 per barrel, daily oil production estimate of 2.3 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N305 per dollar.

These were all approved without any alterations.

Highlights of the budget showed that the Senate authorised from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation a total sum of N8,916,964,99,373 of which N50,258,892,965 only is for statutory transfers, N2,254,14,113,92 only is for debt service, N4.65, 940,383,684 only is for recurrent expenditure, while the sum of N2.94,960,798,632 only is for contribution to the development fund for capital expenditure for the year ending on the 31st day of December 2019.

In a short remark after the passage of the budget, Saraki expressed appreciation to the Committee on Appropriation and all members of the Red Chamber for their efforts towards the consideration and passage of the budget.

Saraki said that with the passage of the budget, the ball was now on the court of the Executive to ensure its implementation for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Mustapha Dawaki, disclosed that the 2019 Appropriation bill will be transmitted to the president for assent by tomorrow.

He expressed hope that the appropriation bill as passed by both houses will be given accelerated assent by the president.

“We did not make any significant increase to the budget, but we sustained the 2.3 million barrels per day production as proposed by the executive; we sustained the dollar at N305 as originally proposed and also sustained $60 per barrel of oil,” Dawaki said.

On the increment, he explained that: “While we were working on the budget, there was a resolution in the Senate that the Federal Government should intervene in the security situation in Zamfara; and we made a provision of N10 billion.

“We also made a provision of N24.6 billion for severance benefits of the outgoing legislators and legislative aides, the induction/orientation and inauguration of new legislators, all of which occur once in four years.”

Dawaki also disclosed that the National Assembly provided another N100 billion for the family homes fund, which is a Federal Government special intervention programme on social housing.

In the last four months, the lawmakers had been working on the proposal with the various Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government appearing before the Standing Committees to defend their respective proposals. (New Telegraph)

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