774,000 jobs: Why payment of beneficiaries is delayed – FG

The federal government Monday said about N7.3bn was yet to be disbursed to the remaining beneficiaries of its 774, 000 Special Public Works programme.

The Minster of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this during budget defence session by the Senate Committee on Labour in Abuja. 

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The programme, domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment, engaged 774,000 Nigerians across the country to carry out public works for three months and beneficiaries are to be N60, 000 each. 

Keyamo said attributed the delay to bank issues, but promised that the remaining fund would be disbursed before end of December.

He said limited banks were selected for the programme to ease audit process.

“Why we insisted on certain banks was because of auditing process. This is so that we have a clear audit instead of us chasing banks all over the place.

“We said the banks should use their local branches to ensure that those 1,000 people selected in that local government area go to those banks within that locality.”

The minister, however, said the ministry had opened up the process whereby beneficiaries could use any bank in their locality.

Members of the committee had lamented that many of their constituents who were engaged for the scheme were yet to be paid almost one year after.