Planned passage of the N30,000 minimum wage by the Senate this week in agreement with the House of Representatives, has suffered setback with postponement of plenary resumption from Tuesday February 19 to February 26, 2019.
This is as expected consideration of the N8.83trillion 2019 budget presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, two months ago, will also wait till next week for commencement in the Senate and continuation in the House of Representatives.
These, as stated in seperate statements issued on Sunday by the Chairman, Senate’s Ad- Hoc Committee on Minimum Wage Bill, Senator Olusola Adeyeye ( APC Osun Central) and Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori, arose from postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), two days ago to Saturday this week.
Specifically, Senator Adeyeye in his response to question on assignment given the Senate”s Ad-Hoc Committee on Minimum Wage Bill said the planned meeting of the committee for tomorrow will not hold in case of postponement of plenary which has been effected by the Clerk to the National Assembly .
According to him, since the formation of the committee on 24 January when the Senate adjourned plenary for the elections, it has been very difficult for him as Chairman of the Committee, to get the seven members for sitting on the assignment as done in the House of Representatives through public hearing held on Monday, 28th January , 2019.
“Six out of the 8 – man Ad- Hoc committee, seeking for reelection into the Senate, have been busy for the past weeks with electioneering campaigns and strategic preparations for the elections earlier slated for 16th of this month but now postponed to this coming Saturday”, he lamented.
“The Committee will definitely meet on Tuesday if Plenary Session reconvenes on that day.
“However, if Plenary Session does not reconvene because of the postponement of the election, the Committee will be meeting early next week”, he explained .
Members of the committee who are busy with their return bids into the senate in the elections are; Emmanuel Adokwe (PDP Nasarawa South), Sam Egwu (PDP Ebonyi North) and Shehu Sani ( PRP Kaduna Central).
Others are the Deputy Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena ( APC Edo North), Adeola Olamilekan ( APC Lagos West) and Binta Masi Garba ( APC Adamawa North ) ,while the remaining member of the committee , Abu Ibrahim ( APC Katsina South ), is not contesting in any of the elections, just like Adeyeye, the committee’s Chairman .
Meanwhile, Clerk to the National Assembly in the postponement of plenary announcement said : “This is to inform all Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members that resumption of plenary earlier scheduled for Tuesday, 19th February 2019, has been postponed to Tuesday, 26th February due to the postponement of the National Elections .
“All Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members are expected to resume plenary session by 10:00am on the 26th February, 2019 please.”
