President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to transmit the 2023 supplementary budget to the National Assembly soon.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this while delivering his welcome address upon resumption from the two-month recess; however, he did not provide details of the supplementary budget.
The Nigerian Tribune reported that the proposed supplementary budget will encompass an increment in salaries and allowances for public servants aimed at cushioning the effects of the fuel subsidy removal.
He said, “In the coming days, the executive arm of government is expected to present a 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill as well as the 2024 Appropriation Bill to this Honourable House.
“It is expected that the time to consider these bills will be short, but we must roll up our sleeves and get to work immediately to ensure the speedy consideration of the bills that will encapsulate the yearnings of the people.
“While we will maintain the tradition established by the 9th House in terms of speedy consideration of the appropriation bills, we must diligently consider the bills to ensure that they meet the needs of our constituents.
“We have to put in extra work hours to ensure that the budget is passed in good time to enable its implementation on the first day of 2024.
“Our nation and indeed this 10th House of the People do not have the luxury of time in the face of profound national challenges. We must, therefore, do everything within our power to champion causes aimed at addressing the yearnings of our people.
“On this score, our goals are clear, and our determination is unrivalled. We must key into the legislative agenda of this House as a roadmap towards navigating our numerous challenges.
Our bills, motions, resolutions, actions, and more should reflect the legislative agenda as a joint product between the House and citizens.
“The government has been fully formed with the inauguration of ministers by Mr President, while committees have been constituted in the two chambers of the National Assembly. We have no time to spare for delivering results to our people.
“Committees must actively engage MDAs to ensure optimum service delivery in accordance with legislation passed by the National Assembly.
In the discharge of your committee assignment and oversight, you must be guided by established legislative ethics and standing orders of the House.
“Finally, Honourable Colleagues, let us approach this new session with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication. Our nation looks to us for leadership, and it is our duty to rise to the occasion.
Together, let us work tirelessly towards building a better future for our people, guided by the principles of justice, equality, and progress.
We have set a legislative agenda that will act as a barometer to measure our legislative actions. It is time to walk the talk.”
While acknowledging that the country’s economic challenges remain as daunting as they were before the recess, he maintained that the “country is challenged on several economic fronts: the cost of living crisis occasioned by the high cost of energy, the fact that the cost of food is skyrocketing daily, a lack of livable wages, the negative effects of unpredictable and fluctuating foreign exchange rates, a disappearing middle class, and a host of other issues.
“When people are hungry and despondent, what is needed is leadership with a clear vision—leadership that, on a daily basis, demonstrates its commitment and capacity to tackle the challenges at hand; leadership that should be innovative in proffering short- and long-term solutions.
“That is what Nigerians need at this time, and as representatives of the people, we must rise to the occasion.
“While the Executive Arm of Government is engaging the citizens and trying to work out strategies to tackle the hardship in the country, our legislative actions must, therefore, be dictated by a clear, robust vision aimed at supporting the Executive in restoring our citizens on the path to prosperity.
“We must deploy the necessary legislative instruments to create jobs, ensure payment of living wages in the civil service, pull Nigerians out of poverty, address the prevailing infrastructure deficit, rid the country of crippling insurgency, ensure the security of lives and property, and provide affordable functional education so that no child is left behind.”
In a swift response to the planned nationwide industrial action announced by the Organised Labour, the Speaker, who lamented the untoward hardship inflicted on the citizens as a result of government policies, begged the Organised Labour to consider the various actions being taken by the Federal Government to alleviate the current hardship faced by Nigerians.
He said, “On account of these economic challenges, organised labour under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) seems to have lost patience with the painstaking effort of the government to plan and provide a sustainable minimum wage and palliatives to citizens.
“The organised labour, it appears, would embark on a nationwide strike by midnight following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the government.
“As the people’s representatives, we feel and equally share in the pains of our people at these very difficult times.
“However, I would like to appeal to the Nigerian Labour Congress to consider the various actions being taken by the Federal Government to alleviate the current hardship faced by Nigerians.
“As promised earlier, this House remains committed to giving a survival wage to all Nigerian workers.
“The 10th House had assured Nigerians that we would be interfacing between the organised labour and the government to quickly work out a realistic new national minimum wage and such other palliatives to enable citizens to cope with the economic impact of fuel subsidy removal, the downward fall of the naira to the dollar, the skyrocketing cost of food, and the generally high cost of living in the country.
“It is our considered opinion that embarking on a nationwide strike at this point will only aggravate an already bad situation.
“I, therefore, urge the leadership of labour unions to give us the benefit of doubt and suspend any planned strike action while we engage the executive.
“Honourable Colleagues, it has not been entirely woes and gloom for our nation, as we have been presented with opportunities and prospects to turn the tide around.
“Only recently, His Excellency President Ahmed Tinubu recorded a huge diplomatic and economic breakthrough with the United Arab Emirates, which would see the resumption of the issuance of visas to Nigerians by the UAE and the return of Emirates Airlines to Nigerian skies.
“We equally recorded some major economic agreements in India, just as we had a productive outing at the recently concluded 78th General Assembly of the United Nations.”
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