On Thursday, both the Senate and the House of Representatives successfully passed the N2.17 trillion 2023 supplementary appropriation bill following a thorough legislative process.

Before the bill’s passage, the Senate adopted the report derived from the harmonized sessions of both chambers concerning the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill.

This report was presented by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Ogun West.

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The bill swiftly underwent readings in both the upper and lower houses, with lawmakers emphasizing that its approval was in the best interest of the nation.

President Bola Tinubu had previously written to the National Assembly, requesting approval for a total of N2,176,791,286,033 as the 2023 supplementary budget.

This additional budget was intended to address various critical needs, including labor wage adjustments and security enhancements.

Additionally, President Tinubu submitted the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper to both chambers of the National Assembly.

Notably, the Senate had previously passed a provision for N819 billion, including a N500 billion palliative package.

President Tinubu had stressed the necessity of the supplementary bill to accommodate additional palliative measures, particularly concerning wage awards.

The Federal Executive Council, under the President’s leadership, had approved the 2023 supplementary budget of N2.1 trillion earlier in the week.

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During deliberations on Tuesday, lawmakers emphasized the urgency of expediting the passage of the supplementary budget, underscoring the importance of addressing critical areas such as infrastructure, security concerns, labor demands (including a N210 billion wage award payment), and a N5.5 billion student loan to meet the immediate needs of the nation.