THE Socio-Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP), has reacted to the allegations of job slots given to state governors and lawmakers from the 774,000 public works jobs of the Federal Government.
The accountability organisation’s reaction followed reports that political office holders in the country have been allocated 15 percent slots of the jobs.
It described the development in a statement on Wednesday, as a blatant violation of constitutional and international anti-corruption standards.
“This is a blatant violation of constitutional and international anti-corruption standards. We’re suing to expose those involved & to hold them to account,” SERAP said.
The public works jobs is a three month Federal Government programme designed to employ 1,000 artisan youths from each of the 774 local government councils in the country.
Beneficiaries will be paid N20,000 each monthly.
In June, Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Labour and Employment had alleged that members of the National Assembly wanted to take over the process of recruitment of job programme.
Keyamo who had heated argument with the lawmakers during a joint hearing on the exercise said he was walked out of the panel because he did not allow them to own the process.
Keyamo disclosed this to journalists as he left the investigative hearing following a disagreement between him and the lawmakers who had asked him to apologise to them.
According to The PUNCH, the Minister also accused the lawmakers of demanding more than the 15 percent job slots to be allocated to them.
But in a swift reaction, Godiya Akwashiki, Chairman, Senate Committee on Labour, Employment, and Productivity, who presided over the joint National Assembly panel, denied the two allegations levelled against them by Keyamo.
On July 1, the National Assembly announced that it has suspended the recruitment exercise.
The exercise was suspended over the disagreements that occurred between Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Employment, Labour and Productivity and the National Assembly Joint Committee on Labour Employment and Productivity .
Ajibola Basiru, Senate spokesperson, announced the suspension of the programme during a press briefing, noting that the exercise was on hold pending proper briefing by the minister to explain the recruitment modalities to the National Assembly.
“In view of the foregoing, the implementation of the programme shall be on hold pending proper briefing of the National Assembly by the Minister of Labour and Productivity,” Basiru said.
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