Politics
JUST IN: Buhari backs Keyamo on plan to recruit 774,000 jobs
President, Major General (retd.) Muhammadu Buhari has given Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo the go-ahead with the plan to recruit 774,000 under the special public works programme (SPW).
Keyamo confirmed the development to The Nation in a telephone interview on Wednesday in Abuja.
The minister said he has the instructions of President Buhari to proceed unhindered, thereby ignoring the leadership of the National Assembly which asked the minister to stop the programme.
“I have the instructions of my boss, Mr. President, to proceed unhindered,” Keyamo said in a text.
The minister and lawmakers have been at loggerheads over the implementation of the programme.
The lawmakers had said the minister did not seek their input before putting together members of the 20-man states selection committees who were inaugurated in June this year.
They accused the minister of trying to hijack the scheme from the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), the implementing agency of the project.
But Keyamo, who appeared before members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Labour, on Tuesday, 30 June, accused the lawmakers of seeking to control the implementation of the programme.
After engaging in a shouting march with members of the NASS Joint Committee, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, called for the suspension of the programme.
However, Keyamo told our reporter on Wednesday that the state’s selection committees are proceeding already with the programme as planned, following the new directive from Buhari.
He said:
“I have instructions from Mr. President to proceed. The state’s selection committees are proceeding already with the programme. Nothing stopped them before.
“National Directorate of Employment (NDE) are part of the programme. The state coordinators of the NDE throughout the country are the secretaries of those committees.
“We will work hard to meet the timeline but if there is any need for a change we will inform Mr. President.”
The Special Public Works Programme is designed to employ 1,000 persons from each of the 774 Local Government Areas of the country.
The programme is expected to gulp N52billion meant for the payment of the participants at N20,000 per month for three months.
The exercise is expected to commence in October.
The 20-man selection Committee for the programme is being chaired by the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Ladan Argungu and supervised by Kayamo.
-
Sports22 hours ago
Ancelotti confirms Arda Guler’s stay at Real Madrid
-
Politics20 hours ago
Ibadan residents defy curfew amid LG polls
-
Entertainment23 hours ago
Doris Simeon reveals struggle working odd jobs to survive in US
-
News23 hours ago
‘Disbursement ongoing’, FG gives update on N50,000 grants
-
Entertainment23 hours ago
Ex-BBnaija star Miracle graduates with distinction from aviation school
-
News21 hours ago
Yahaya Bello: EFCC confirms refund of $760,000
-
health20 hours ago
Japa: 58,000 doctors renewed licences in 2023, says medical council
-
News18 hours ago
Lagos cracks down on illegal occupants of Agege railway lines