Minimum wage, subsidy not in 2018 Budget

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Sen. Danjuma Goje, has said that no provision was made in the 2018 Budget for any increase in minimum wage during the year.

Goje made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja shortly after the passage of the 2018 Appropriation Bill.

He said the failure to capture the wage in the budget may have been because deliberation on the issue had not been concluded by the Executive.

“The government has not brought it. I think that the issue of minimum wage is still under consideration.

“It is still at the committee level with the Executive. When they bring it to us we will look at it; ours is just to make law.

“If the Executive decides to pay workers N100, 000 per day or whatever it is, if they bring the Bill and can justify it, we will pass it.

“When they bring it, we will consider,” he said.

The lawmaker also said that subsidy on oil was not captured in the budget.

He said “the issue of subsidy was raised on the floor.

“It was explained that the Federal Government officially abolished subsidy. So, it is not for us to introduce subsidy.

“If they want to pay subsidy in accordance with the law they have to bring it to us to appropriate.

“If they bring it, we will appropriate. For now, officially there is no subsidy,” he said.