To commence debate on 2019 budget today
Deji Elumoye
The Senate yesterday appointed Senate Deputy Majority Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, as Acting Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Minimum Wage.
The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who made the announcement at plenary, said Alimikhena would work in acting capacity, while the Chairman, Senator Olusola Adeyeye, was away on health grounds.
Saraki charged the committee to expedite action on the matter to enable the senate to be able to catch up with the House of Representatives, which had already passed the bill through third reading.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, had on January 24, appointed the Chief Whip of the Senate, Olusola Adeyeye, as Chairman of an eight-member ad-hoc committee mandated to work on the minimum wage bill.
The members of the adhoc committee are: Abu Ibrahim (APC-Katsina State); Shehu Sani (PRP-Kaduna State) and Sam Egwu (PDP-Ebonyi).
Others are: Suleiman Adokwe (PDP-Nasarawa State); Francis Alimikhena (APC-Edo); Solomon Adeola (APC-Lagos State) and Binta Garba (APC-Adamawa).
The House of Representatives had on January 29 approved N30,000 as minimum wage for workers in the public and private sectors.
The lower chamber increased the threshold for public and private sectors workers in states and local governments from N27,000 proposed in the National Minimum Wage Act Amendment Bill to N30,000.
Meanwhile, Saraki has said the Senate will commence debate on the general principles of the 2019 Appropriation Bill.
He made the announcement at the plenary yesterday, saying the debate would end on March 19.
He also urged the lawmakers to put their names on the plenary register for compilation to ensure orderly debate.
The Second Reading of the 2019 Budget was suspended due to Christmas break, and the 2019 general election.
The sum of N8.73 trillion was presented to the joint parliamentary session by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 19, 2018.
