The Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has asked the inaugurated committees to go ahead with the selection process on the 774,000 Special Public Works Programme.
He said members of the National Assembly committee cannot stop the selection process, since it is only President Muhammadu Buhari who is empowered to do so.
Keyamo gave the directive on Tuesday, following the National Assembly committee’s decision to stop further work on the recruitment process after both disagreed on terms after the minister appeared before the investigative panel on invitation.
Keyamo speaking with journalists after the lawmakers walked him out of the National Assembly over their disagreement, told journalists that, the Joint Committees on Labour of both the Senate and the House tried to “control the programme as to who gets what, where and how.”
But the minister, who insisted that he would not surrender the programme to the lawmakers’ control “since their powers under the constitution does not extend to that,” directed the inaugurated committees across the country to begin the process of selecting 1,000 recruits in all the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
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He said the lawmakers who made up the joint national assembly committees were only challenging the constitutional powers President Buhari, on their decision to suspend some committees he inaugurated on Monday, contending that, it is only the president who can do so.
Keyamo, while inaugurating the committees made up of 20 people in each state, had said they would be in charge of engaging 774,000 citizens in a special works programme implemented by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
But at the national assembly on Tuesday, Keyamo engaged in a shouting match with the lawmakers who faulted the recruitment exercise, and accused him of hijacking the programme from NDE.
However, Keyamo, in a statement released and personally signed by him after his encounter with the lawmakers, faulted the National Assembly members in the joint committees, saying they had no constitutional powers to make binding resolutions and as so, could not direct the executive even in plenary.
Keyamo said: “After I left, I understand that the joint committees purportedly suspended the work of the selection committees nationwide until they decide how the programme should be run and who should be in those committees,” the lawyer said.
“My opinion is that it is tantamount to challenging the powers of Mr. President.
“I regret to say that their powers under section 88 of the 1999 constitution is only limited to investigations, but NOT TO GIVE ANY DIRECTIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE.
“A committee or committees of both Houses do not even have powers to pass binding Resolutions. They can only make recommendations to plenary. In this case, even plenary CANNOT give DIRECTIVES to the Executive.
“All my life, I have fought for good governance and constitutional democracy. I will not come into government and be intimidated to abandon those principles. I will rather leave this assignment, if Mr. President so directs than compromise the jobs meant for ordinary Nigerians who have no godfathers or who are not affiliated to any political party.
“I therefore, respectfully further direct all the Committees set up nationwide made up of CAN, NSCIA, NURTW, Market Women, CSOS, Youth Organisations, respected traditional rulers, etc., to proceed with their work unhindered,” he said.
“Only Mr. President can stop their work.”
The full statement below:
“Today, in obedience to their invitation, I appeared before the Joint Committees on Labour of both the Senate and the House. The Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members sought to be briefed on the implementation of the Special Public Works Programme so far.
“However, there was a misunderstanding between us when they questioned why I did not privately submit the program to them for vetting before taking certain steps. They suggested that they ought to have an input on how the programme should be implemented. In other words, they sought to control the programme as to who gets what, where and how. However, I insisted that I could not surrender the programme to their control since their powers under the Constitution does not extend to that. They insisted on a closed door session.
“At this point, I remarked that it was only fair for me to respond to their position before the press, since their own position was also made public. In any case, I remarked that the Nigerian people deserve to know the details of the execution of this all-important programme.
“I was then asked to apologize for insisting on a public interaction and I said there was nothing to apologize about, because their powers to expose corruption provided for in section 88 of the Constitution cannot be exercised in private. As such, there was no need to apologize by insisting on a Constitutional provision. Even their Rules that may provide for private hearings on public matters cannot override the provisions of the Constitution. I was then permitted to leave. I took a bow and left. I NEVER walked out on the respected Committees as they may want to bend the narrative.
“After I left, I understand that the Joint Committees purportedly suspended the work of the Selection Committees nationwide until they decide how the programme should be run and who should be in those Committees. My opinion is that it is tantamount to challenging the powers of Mr. President.
“I regret to say that their powers under section 88 of the 1999 Constitution is only limited to investigations, but NOT TO GIVE ANY DIRECTIVE TO THE EXECUTIVE.
“A Committee or Committees of both Houses do not even have powers to pass binding Resolutions. They can only make recommendations to Plenary. In this case, even Plenary CANNOT give DIRECTIVES to the Executive.
“All my life, I have fought for good governance and constitutional democracy. I will not come into government and be intimidated to abandon those principles. I will rather leave this assignment, if Mr. President so directs than compromise the jobs meant for ordinary Nigerians who have no Godfathers or who are not affiliated to any political party.
“I, therefore, respectfully further direct all the Committees set up nationwide made up of CAN, NSCIA, NURTW, Market Women, CSOS, Youth Organisations, respected traditional rulers, etc to proceed with their work unhindered. Only Mr. President can stop their work.”
