*Insists, Public Works project remains suspended.
The Senate on Monday said Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, is too small to create division between the National Assembly and Executive.
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan made the declaration while responding to questions raised by journalists during an interactive session with with journalists at Senate wing of the National Assembly.
“Only one person defines the executive arm of government. Any other person there aside the Vice President, is either recruited or appointed to support that one person, he said.
“That one person is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So if somebody, an employee or an appointee, out of several others, does something that does not show harmony, it will be unfair and uncharitable to say that the executive arm of government is not on the same page with us.
He continues: “But let me tell you also here that the National Assembly consciously and patriotically passed the request of the executive for N52billion to undertake the programme on Public Works across the country, where 1,000 youths particularly will be employed in every single local government – and that will give you 774,000 people to be employed.
While he insisted that the NDE is the only body empowered by law to supervise the recruitment process, Lawn also declared that the Special Public Works Programme, entailing recruitment of 774, 000 youths across the 774 local governments in the country remain suspended until detailed explanations on modalities for its implementation are gotten from the Executive.
“That was the approval by the National Assembly in the approved budget request of Mr. President. When the National Assembly was to pass the request, the National Assembly was conscious through scrutiny that NDE (National Directorate of Employment) will be the agency to implement the programme and we approved that because we know NDE has the capacity to implement the programme.
“So that programme is an NDE programme approved by the National Assembly worth N52billion. Secondly, it is within the purview of our committees to demand an explanation on the process and procedure through which this programme will be implemented. So our joint committee was right. The Committee was right to ask the questions.
“We are meant to interrogate the processes through which such programmes will be implemented. Thirdly, the Committee’s resolve that the programme should be suspended until such explanations are provided on how this programme will be implemented. We stand by that.
“Our purpose is not just to approve money. We insist that only NDE will implement this programme and even the NDE led by the Minister of Employment and Productivity will have to come and explain to the National Assembly Committees how they will implement the programme.
“I want the press to understand that what the National Assembly is insisting on is in the national and public interest. It is in the national interest that we know what is going on because we passed the N52billion and somebody should explain to us how the processes of selecting the States Selection Committee is, who are the stakeholders, how are they identified and nominated.
