Reps set for showdown with Buhari, halt 774,00 Special Public Works Project

There are emerging indicators that the House of Representatives may be heading for a seeming showdown with President Muhammadu Buhari, stalling some executive decisions or projects in the process.  The Lower Chamber of the National Assembly showed sign of disaffection with the executive on Tuesday when the lawmakers passed a resolution ordering the Minister of State For Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN, to halt the planned January 2021 implementation of the Special Public Works Programme of the Federal Government.

The Representatives, however, passing the resolution insisted that the Public Works project will not be implemented until a comprehensive list of beneficiaries from the National Directorate of Employment is provided for scrutiny.

The Federal Government initiated the 774,000 Public Works project to recruit 1,000 beneficiaries from each of the 774 local governments in Nigeria as the Buhari administration response to post-covid poverty alleviation intervention. It was disclosed that the lawmakers have already allocated N52 billion for the project in the 2020 budget.

The project was approved by President Buhari in July and was anticipated to commence on October 1, perhaps, the coronavirus lockdown delayed the takeoff. The Minister of State for Labour and Employment had revealed that each beneficiary will be paid N20,000 salary monthly.

The National Assembly had at the initial stage opposed the project which created temporary face off with the minister who had the support of the president to continue.

The House also on Tuesday in a motion moved by Representative Olajide Olatunbosun, challenged the executive decision on the removal of the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), demanding his immediate reinstatement.

The NDE DG had publicly said that the agency had not been carried along by the Minister of State on the implementation of the Public Works programme.

The lawmakers of the Lower Chamber declared that President Buhari was ill-advised to sack the DG who was simply insisting on following the right procedures.

The Representatives are now insisting on comprehensive list from the Directorate before the Labour Ministry will get approval for the commencement of the 774,000 Public Works project.