Senate grills Keyamo over allowances of beneficiaries of FG 774, 000 special public works

Worried by the delay in the payment of the monthly allowance of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government Social Public Works, the Senate on Monday, asked the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, to explain the circumstances responsible for the delay.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, while responding to the senate’s request said that the Federal Government was yet to disburse N7.3 billion to the remaining beneficiaries of government’s 774, 000 special public works programme.

He made the revelation during the budget defence organised by Senate Committee on Labour and Employment for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Abuja.

Keyamo who noted that the delay was due to bank issues promised that the ministry would ensure that the funds were disbursed before the end of December.

It would be recalled that the programme was introduced in October 2019, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.

The programme is domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

The programme seeks to address the problem of unemployment across the country, especially in the rural areas, thus making the unemployed youth more useful to themselves and society. In the programme, beneficiaries are to be paid N20,000 a month for three months.

Keyamo, while making clarifications on the commercial banks used in disbursing the fund said “Why we insisted on certain banks was because of the auditing process. This is so that we have a clear audit instead of us chasing banks all over the place. We said the bank should use their local branches to ensure that those 1,000 people selected in a particular local government area go to those banks within that locality.”

The minister, however, said that the ministry has opened up the process whereby beneficiaries could use any bank in their locality instead of the only previously selected banks.

“We have made an adjustment in the last few months. We are not attaching a particular bank to a local government again. So, no matter what it is, we will achieve 98 per cent success on the programme,” he said.

Also while making further clarification, Director-General NDE Abubakar Fikpo said that the agency “does not have access to the funds for the beneficiaries.”

He stressed that the mode of payment to the participants was such that all monies were domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“Each time we are proposing to pay, once we prepare the details for payment, what we do is that we send it to the Accountant General, not even CBN. It is the Accountant General now that communicates with CBN that upholds these things and then pay. That is the process.

“What we normally send to the accountant general are names of participants, their account numbers, BVN, bank details and the amount. It is the accountant general that instructs CBN and then they effect the payment which was why sometimes we experience failed payment,” Keyamo added

After explanations by the Minister and the Director-General, Chairman of the Committee, Sen Godiya Akwashiki, said the duo would be invited by the committee for update on the programme.

(Tribune)