774,000 workers recruitment: FG, National Assembly flex muscles, federal lawmakers dare Buhari

 You can only probe, you can’t order executive, minister replies legislators

We have powers to suspend exercise, federal lawmakers tell President

Sunday Aborisade, Friday Olokor, Adelani Adepegba and Leke Baiyewu

The National Assembly, on Wednesday, said it had suspended the Federal Government’s planned recruitment of 774, 000 Nigerians under the  Special Public Works programme.

The spokesperson for the Senate, Dr Ajibola Basiru, and his counterpart for the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu,  who announced the suspension, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), could challenge the decision in court.

Basiru, at a press conference he addressed in the National Assembly, Abuja read a statement they jointly issued.

In the statement,  the spokesperson said the federal parliament took the decision following the disagreement between it and the Minister of State for Employment, Labour and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo, on Tuesday.

The lawmakers also hinged their decision on the fact that the programme did not exclusively belong to the President.

They said it was jointly conceived by the executive and the legislature. They argued that they could not be kept in the dark over its implementation.

But Keyamo, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the recruitment would not be suspended as directed by the National Assembly. According to him, the legislature has no power to issue directives to the executive.

The President had,  a few months ago, approved the employment of 774, 000 workers to cushion the effect of the economic hardship caused by COVID-19.

By the arrangement, 1, 000 Nigerians, who will earn N20, 000 each on a monthly basis for three months, are expected to be recruited in each of the 774 local government areas of the country.

The programme will start in October this year.

Keyamo was ordered out of the National Assembly on Tuesday following his refusal to apologise after the legislators accused him of raising his voice against them.

The National Assembly Joint Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity,  had summoned the minister and the Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, Mr Nasiru Argungu, to brief its members on the steps so far taken to recruit 774, 000 people.

Trouble started when the lawmakers criticised  Keyamo for allegedly engaging in a lopsided recruitment without the active involvement of the  NDE, the agency that got N52bn approval from the National Assembly to implement the programme.

The argument that ensued afterwards led to a shouting match between both parties which later forced the lawmakers to order Keyamo out of the meeting.

N’Assembly summons labour minister

At a press conference on Wednesday,  the spokesperson for the Senate  said the National Assembly had summoned the minister in charge of the ministry to appear before the legislature to explain the recruitment modalities.

He said, “In view of the foregoing, the implementation of the programme shall be put on hold pending proper briefing of the National Assembly by the minister of labour and productivity.

Photo credit @punchng.com