The House of Representatives has approved the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for an amendment to the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act to accommodate N500 billion for provision of palliatives for Nigerians.
The House on Thursday approved the request by adopting and passing the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, HB.101, after members of the House deliberated on the issue.
The amendment passed the first, second, and third readings during plenary on Wednesday.
The Bill, which was presented by the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere, APC, Edo, was read out at today’s plenary and was immediately read a second time after deliberation and consideration.
This is just as most lawmakers commended the President for his prompt response.
Rep. Aliyu Madaki, NNPP, Kano, said: “Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, you know last week I moved a motion urging Mr. President to grant palliatives to Nigerians, and because he is a responsive and listening President today, he has done the needful by sending in this bill. What Mr. President did is to follow our constitution”.
The Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda urged the President not to share money to Nigerians in the form of palliatives but reduce the cost of electricity tariff saying the proper yardstıck to measure governance is whether a leader is responsive to the yearning of the people.
“The bill on the floor today, before us will be passed with a speed of light because of its importance. We appreciate the President for responding promptly. The concern of Nigerians is to see palliatives that will allow us breath and not the type of palliatives that will suffocate Nigerians. We want to see a reduction in the electricity tariff”, Chinda said.
Credible News recalls that Tinubu had in a letter on Wednesday sought the approval of N500 billion as cost of providing succor to Nigerians after the removal of f
In part, the letter from President Bola Tinubu read: “I write to request for the amendment of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act. The request became necessary, among other things, to source funds to provide necessary palliatives to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy on Nigerians.
Thus, the sum of N500 billion only has been extracted from the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act of N819 billion, 536 million, 937 thousand 803 naira only for the provisions of palliatives for Nigerians to cushion the effects of subsidy removal”.
