Abdulazeez Tijani, a lawyer and social activist with roots in Abuja, has sued the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) under the Freedom of Information Act for information regarding the distribution of N52 billion to some youths under the Special Public Work (SPW) policy of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to reports, Mr. Festus Keyamo’s office, which served as the former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, oversaw the disbursement of the N52 billion that the former President had approved and released to NDE.
Advertisements
Keyamo asserted on the Senate floor that all beneficiary registers and records are housed with the NDE after being questioned about the matter by several senators during his vetting as a nominee for a ministerial position.
Keyamo had informed the legislators that the NDE allows access to the account information and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) of the 774,000 youngsters who benefited from the former president Buhari’s SPW policy.
With Keyamo’s disclosure in hand, the lawyer/social activist requested Certified True Copies of the list of the 774,000 recipients, their account information, and documentation of disbursement to the accounts in a letter to the Director General of the NDE.
Advertisements
In support of his request for the information on the N52 billion naira payment, he referenced section 1 (1) of the enabling law, the Freedom of Information Act of 2011.
As a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria, the lawyer claimed in a letter dated August 10, 2023 and received the same day at the NDE Headquarters in Abuja that he had grown interested in learning the real situation regarding the Special Public Works involving 774,000 youths and the disbursement of N52 billion to them as claimed in the Senate by the former Minister.
The attorney declared that he will agree to bear the expense of producing the requested records in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act.
Advertisements
The attorney cautioned the NDE Director General in a letter that our correspondent was able to receive to regard the 30-day deadline as a pre-action notice and to act quickly to satisfy his demands in accordance with the enabling statute.
The attorney issued a warning that if his demands weren’t satisfied, his only choice would be to apply for an order of mandamus from the Federal High Court, which would compel compliance with his demands.
You may recall that N52 billion was allotted for the SPW initiative, which was directed by the then-Minister of State for Labor and Employment and supervised by the NDE.
The program aimed to hire 1,000 untrained adolescents for three months in each of the country’s 774 local government districts.
The recipients were expected to perform public service tasks in exchange for a N20,000 monthly stipend for three months.
3 comments