Ministers, lawmakers clash over FG's 774,000 job creation.

THE Special Public Works Programme (SWP) of the Federal Government designed to hire 774,000 youths has sparked a huge row between a Federal Executive Council (FEC) member and federal lawmakers.

The Federal Government has set aside N52 million to pay the 1,000 youths from each of the 774 local government areas at 20,000 per member for three months.

Those engaged are expected to do public works for the last quarter of the year.

At issue is the formation of the selection committee that will recruit the beneficiaries.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Festus Keyamo on Tuesday appeared before the Senate and House of Representatives joint Committee on Labour and Employment.

The meeting ran into troubled waters when Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Ladan Argungu, was asked to explain the composition of the Keyamo-led 20 member committee handling the selection of beneficiaries.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Festus Keyamo on Tuesday appeared before the Senate and House of Representatives joint Committee on Labour and Employment.

The meeting ran into troubled waters when Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Ladan Argungu, was asked to explain the composition of the Keyamo-led 20 member committee handling the selection of beneficiaries.

Argungu said he could only account for eight statutory members of the committee, adding only the minister of state could speak on the remaining 12 members.

Some members of the joint committee complained that the representatives of their states in the selection committee were unknown to them.

They requested Keyamo for insight into how the 12 members were picked; the roles  of  representatives of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the recruitment and why  a  programme which budget is under the NDE is being hijacked by him.

The joint committee members accused Keyamo and Argungu of not being on the same page on the programme.

Before the minister could respond, co-chairman of the joint committee, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, said the briefing would go into a closed door session.

However, Keyamo argued that since the questions were asked and allegations made in the full glare of the media, a closed session   was not necessary. He said   his response should also be captured by the media.

His insistence angered the lawmakers who said he (Keyamo) could not direct how a session by a national assembly committee should be conducted.

They asked Keyamo to apologise for attempting to upturn the committee’s resolution  on how the sitting should be conducted.

Keyamo, who declined because he had “done nothing wrong”, threatened to walk out on the committee.

The disagreement and insistence by the minister led to flared tempers, banging on tables and eventual storming out of the session by Keyamo.

The uproar brought the session to an abrupt end.