The Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, was involved in a heated exchange with lawmakers and has declared that the national assembly members do not have the authority to halt the selection committee of the National Directorate of Employment’s 774,000 recruitment exercise. In a statement released after the rowdy session at the national assembly, Keyamo alleged that the Joint Committees on Labour of both the Senate and the House attempted to influence the program. He insisted that only President Buhari has the power to suspend the process.
Keyamo has directed the state selection committees to continue with the recruitment process as he believes the lawmakers cannot dictate its progress. He expressed his stance in a public statement where he also addressed the Joint Committees’ actions and emphasized the need to uphold constitutional provisions.
The Minister stressed that the powers of the national assembly members are limited to investigations and making recommendations to Plenary, but they cannot give directives to the Executive. He further stated his commitment to ensuring the jobs meant for ordinary Nigerians are not compromised and asserted that only President Buhari holds the authority to halt the work of the selection committees nationwide.