The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and a host of other lawmakers who is not returning in the 9th assembly will receive severance gratuity.

The sum of N23,678,770,079 was allocated in the 2019 budget to be paid to their them as well as their legislative aides.

Also earmarked in this amount is the allowances for incoming legislators, legislative aides and induction programme/ inauguration of the ninth assembly.

 

This approval is followed by the passage of the 2019 budget by the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Olusegun Obasanjo, Good luck Jonathan and others will receive entitlements as Former Presidents/Heads of States and Vice Presidents/ Chief of general staff worth N2,300,000,000.

The Federal chambers passed a sum of N8.916trillion as the figure for the 2019 budget as against N8.83 trillion earlier proposed.

The new budget figure was passed after Danjuma Goje, chairman senate committee on appropriations, presented a report on Tuesday.

The figure is higher than what President Muhammadu Buhari presented a joint session of the national assembly on 19 December by N86 billion.

The president had presented N8.83 trillion as budget estimates to the lawmakers for the fiscal year 2019.

While presenting the report, Goje explained that the budget was increased by the aforementioned sum because there was a need to provide more funds for security agencies.

The chairman noted that this is the first time that the Senate would not tamper with key assumptions such as $60 per barrel and $305 benchmark.

“This is the first time that the benchmark will not be increased,” he said.

“There is a slight increase in budget deficit because of severance of lawmakers, legislative aides. There is also a need to provide more funds for security organisations.”

N10 billion intervention fund was also approved for Zamfara state following the activities of bandits and kidnappers that have ravaged the state.

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