The Special structure Programme (SWP) of the federal designed to rent 774,000 youths has sparked an enormous row between a Federal council (FEC) member and federal lawmakers.
The federal has put aside N52 million to pay the 1,000 youths from each of the 774 government areas at 20,000 per member for 3 months.
Those engaged are expected to try to to structure for the half-moon of the year.
At issue is that the formation of the choice committee which 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 saw troubled waters when Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Nasir Ladan Argungu, was asked to elucidate the composition of the Keyamo-led 20 member committee handling the choice 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 within 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 tutorial Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) within 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 an equivalent page on the programme.
Before the minister could respond, co-chairman of the joint committee, Senator Godiya Akwashiki, said the briefing would enter a closed door session.
However, Keyamo argued that since the questions were asked and allegations made within the full glare of the media, a executive session was not necessary. He said his response should even be captured by the media.
His insistence angered the lawmakers who said he (Keyamo) couldn't 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 steer 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.
Speaking to reporters, Keyamo said: “What they need not allowed me to mention inside, i will be able to say it outside.
“The background to the present is that a few of days ago, they started mounting pressure on me that i need to bring an inventory of these to pick 1,000 persons per government across the country for them to direct me on what to try to to from state to state.
“The chairmen insisted i need to come to them privately to be handed an instruction on what to try to to and the way this programme would be done.
“I told them that it might amount to sharing the powers of the President. I can only be in charge of what I even have done by the provisions of the Constitution, but you can't direct me.
I can’t explain in an closed session matters like this because it involves the 774 Local Governments Areas across the country.
“You cannot accuse me of a lopsided issue within the open then want to travel into a executive session .
”They can investigate the programme I are often coming here a day to elucidate but they can't control it.”
The minister later issued a press release in which he said: “I will not surrender the programme to their control since their power under the constitution doesn't reach that.”
Keyamo, who said he learnt that the joint committee later suspended the work of the choice committee nationwide, directed the members to travel ahead with the assignment as “only Mr. President can stop them.”
He argued that the action of the lawmakers was ”tantamount to challenging the powers of Mr. President.”
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), added: “I regret to mention that their powers under section 88 of the 1999 Constitution is merely limited to investigations, to not give any directive to the chief .”
“I won't inherit government and be intimidated to abandon my principles. i will be able to rather leave this assignment, if Mr. President so directs than compromise the roles meant for ordinary Nigerians who haven't any godfathers or who aren't affiliated to any party .”
Senator Akwashiki, who presided over the joint committee, told reporters after the botched session that Keyamo insulted them.
Akwashiki said: “We asked the minister of state to elucidate to us how far they need gone because we read on the pages of newspapers that a 20-man selection committee from each state was inaugurated. .
“He said it had been a tripartite committee found out by Mr President that comprised eight ministries but we disagreed with him thereon because we are lawmakers and that we attempt to work always within the ambit of the law for the implementation of whatever we've for the Nigerian people.
“We said this money (N52billion) has been approved under the NDE. it's even within the budget. So for him to mention it's eight ministries that are involved during this we afflict him.
“If we didn't catch on right with the choice committee, i would like to inform you that this programme goes to be a failure.
”How the minister received the remaining 12 people is best known to him. The Director General who happens to be the accounting officer of the agency didn't skills he happened the choice of the 12 people.
“We cannot sit down and watch him. But because he claims he's a lawyer, he's trying to bring confusion.
“He is trying to show us around. he's trying to form the entire system appear as if a busy-body saying that this is often public hearing. this is often not public hearing.
“At the top of the day, he tried to insult the lawmakers. He was trying to inform us the procedures of our sitting.”
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