The Special Public Works programme that promises recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians under the National Directorate of Employment to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic has been suspended by the National Assembly over disagreement with Mr Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Employment, Labour and Productivity.
The programme expected to take off in October this year was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, to engagement 1, 000 Nigerians in each of the 774 local government areas of the country who would earn N20, 000 as their monthly salary for three months.
Ajibola Basiru, Senate spokesperson, announced the suspension of the programme during a press briefing, noting that the exercise is on hold pending proper briefing by the minister to explain the recruitment modalities to the National Assembly.
It could be recalled that on Tuesday Mr Festus Kayamu, the minister of State for Labour, and the Senate Committee on Labour clashed over FGs planned recruitment of 1,000 Nigerians under Special Works per Local Government across the country. Both parties could not agree on how the programme will being handled hence voices were being raised uncontrollably.
According to close source, it was more like a national trade of words between the Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo and the members of the National Assembly on Tuesday over the National Directorate of Employment recruitment exercise.
Consequently, the Minister was walked out by the federal lawmakers, during an investigative hearing organized by the National Assembly Joint Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, following his refusal to apologise after the legislators accused him of raising his voice against them.
Also on Tuesday Festus Keyamo while reacting to the incident said he was walked out by the lawmakers because he did not allow them to own the process. He also accused the lawmakers of demanding more than the 15 percent job slots to be allocated to them.
But in a swift reaction, Godiya Akwashiki, Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, who presided over the joint National Assembly panel, denied the two allegations levelled against them by Keyamo and accused him (Keyamo) of allegedly trying to build a political structure of 1, 000 youths in each of the 774 local government areas across the country with the 774,000 jobs without the involvement of the NDE.
Trouble started when the Director-General of the NDE, Mr. Nasiru Ladan, could not defend the N52 billion budgeted for the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians under the NDE. The minister said his ministry was asked to supervise the recruitments by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd). But the federal lawmakers disagreed with Keyamo.
Keyamo was asked by the lawmakers to explain the modalities he had adopted to carry out the recruitment process and why he was not carrying the NDE along. The minister said the Director-General of the NDE, Mr. Nasiru Ladan, is a member of the committee but when asked to defend himself, the NDE boss, said the Minister was in a better position to answer all questions relating to the N52 billion budgeted for the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians.
