President 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 progamme (SPW).
Keyamo confirmed the development to The Nation in a telephone interview on Wednesday in Abuja.
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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.
Keyamo said: “I have fresh instructions to proceed with the program as directed by him and to continue to supervise the program in accordance with law.
“I stress it, in accordance with law.”
He told our reporter that the directive was given to him by President Buhari on Tuesday, 14 July 2020.
The minister and lawmakers had been at loggerheads over the implementation of the programme.
The lawmakers had faulted the minister for not seeking their input before putting together members of the 20-man states selection committees who were inaugurated in June this year.
After engaging in a shouting match with members of the National Assembly joint committee, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, called for the suspension of the programme.
However, Keyamo said 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.”
