Once again the House of Representatives has kicked against the Special Works Scheme of the Federal Government, calling for its immediate suspension on Tuesday.
The National Assembly and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Employment and Productivity had clashed over the process of recruiting 774,000 workers for the scheme.
At the plenary on Tuesday, the House asked the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning not to fund the scheme, which is billed to take off in January 2021.
The House also faulted the removal of the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Dr Nasiru Argungu, who had backed the parliament in the controversy.
The National Assembly had appropriated N52bn for the exercise in the 2020 Appropriation Act as it was earlier scheduled to begin in November.
The House urged President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse himself on Argungu’s sacking.
The Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, had since appointed Argungu’s replacement in the order of the President.
Also on Tuesday, the Senate President Ahmad Lawan swore-in four senators recently elected through bye-elections in states across the country.
The new Senators include Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), Senator Henry Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), Senator Cleopas Moses (Bayelsa Central) and Senator Nora Ladi Dadu’ut (Plateau South).
The Clerk to the Senate, Ibrahim El-Ladan administered the Oath of Office and Oath of Allegiance on the new Senators.
Why is it that the minister wanted to over ride the decision of national assembly I thought his job is to supervise not to implement.