Minister Keep off Public Work Scheme Recruitment

The senate has continued its muscle flexing with the presidency on the recruitment of 774,000 persons from Nigeria’s 774 local government areas under the public work programme.

The senate on Tuesday directs Nigeria directorate of employment (NDE) to take over from the labour ministry the implementation of the scheme.

President Buhari had last week directed labour minister of state, Festus Keyamo to ignore the senate and begin the immediate implementation of the programme.

But the senate on Tuesday following a motion by the chairman of the senate committee on judiciary, human rights and legal matters, Opeyemi Bamidele, says NDE and not the ministry is empowered to carry out the recruitment exercise.

Senate president, Ahmad Lawan says that senate will stick to its position that the NDE has the statutory role of implementing the programme, while the labour ministry should restrict itself to supervising its implementation.