President Muhammadu Buhari has
asked Festus Keyamo, minister of state for labour and employment, to proceed
with the execution of the special public works progamme.
TheCable reports that senior presidential sources
confirmed the president’s directive on the programme.
Keyamo had come in collision with
the national assembly over the legislature’s insistence on dictating the
process of the programme.
The national assembly committee
on labour suspended the programme in the heat of its face-off with the
minister.
At a meeting in June, members of
the committee were near fisticuffs with the minister who was walked out of the
event.
But Keyamo accused the committee
of seeking to hijack the programme and to appropriate some job slots to
themselves.
He also accused the national
assembly committee of challenging the president by its action.
He said the legislators acted
beyond their powers.
It is also understood that Keyamo met
with the president and reeled off his encounter with the national assembly
committee over the programme.
The president was said to be
furious, bemoaning the national assembly’s knack for meddling in matters on the
purview of the executive.
He asked the minister to proceed
with the execution of the programme and to ensure it is conducted ”strictly
according to existing laws”.
He also asked the
director-general of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to halt any
alternative plan on the programme with the national assembly committee.
TheCable also reports that
Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), has written to the
national assembly asking it to stay within the remit of its statutory
responsibilities.
Keyamo had inaugurated the
committees made up of 20 people in each state which will be in charge of
engaging 774,000 citizens in the special works programme.
Nigerians enlisted on the
programme are expected to carry out public services such as street sweeping,
waste disposal and the like. The programme is aimed at engaging young jobless
citizens as well as providing a means of sustenance for them.
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