774, 000 Jobs: Reps reject 30 slots for members

The Minority Caucus in the Nigerian House of Representatives has charged President Muhamamdu Buhari to immediately order a review of the implementation process of the government’s public job scheme, to ensure that the targeted citizens benefited from the program as intended.

The caucus also rejected the 30 job slots allotted to each member of the House for their respective local government areas within their constituencies, in the 774,000 public jobs scheme.

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, in a statement on Tuesday, described the allotment of 30 out of the 1000 slots per local government, as grossly unfair and unacceptable by Nigerians and the lawmakers, who are the true representatives of the people

The caucus demanded for more transparency and a review of the criteria being used for the allotment, which is alleged to favour certain interests at the detriment and disadvantage of majority of Nigerians.

The Minority Leader, who represents Aniocha North/Aniocha South and Oshimili North and South Federal Constituency of Delta State, insisted that “the 30 persons allotment to be supervised by a member in each of the local government areas, cannot by any criteria, be a true representation of the people they are mandated to represent”.

Mr. Elumelu stressed that the 774,000 jobs are meant for the people and that the people look up to the lawmakers as major channels through which they are reached for social and economic empowerment, a situation, which makes the 30 persons, out of the 1000 per local government, grossly inadequate.

“The 30 persons allotment per local government for lawmakers is grossly unfair, inadequate and unacceptable to Nigerians. As the representatives of the people, we are closer to them and they directly interact with us, irrespective of religion, class and political affiliations.

All Nigerians living in our constituencies are our constituents, irrespective of political leanings. We have a responsibility to protect their interests at all times. As such lawmakers ought to have been carried along on the allotment.” Mr. Elumelu said.

The lawmakers therefore demanded for more transparency and consultation in the implementation of the 774,000 public works jobs.