The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it opposed the resort to political godfatherism and underhand measures in the allocation of federal government’s 774,000 jobs to cronies of political office holders.
The federal government recently inaugurated the States’ Selection Committees on Extended Special Public Works for the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians to be engaged under the programme.
The virtual inauguration of the committees was conducted by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, in Abuja.
Keyamo said that the committees would be responsible for identifying and recruiting 1,000 from each of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
But the PDP in a statement on Monday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan alleged that the APC-led government had adopted an illegal and anti-people method of recruitment, describing it as unpardonable injustice to the generality of unemployed Nigerians.
The PDP said, “Since the funding for the jobs is drawn from the national purse, the process should be completely apolitical in a manner that grants unrestrictive opportunity to all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity or creed.
“The PDP rejects a situation where, in each local government area, 800 slots of the 1000 jobs have already been pencilled off to political cronies while the remaining 200 openings are thrown open for contest to the public, which also include politically affiliated persons.
“The party stresses that such brash violation of the principle of fairness and equal opportunity by the APC and its administration, is a direct invitation to restiveness and acrimony in the country and as such, should be immediately rescinded in the national interest.”
Our correspondent has contacted the national leadership of the APC, for a reaction, but the party is yet to respond to the allegations.
About N52 billion has been allocated for the Special Public Works Programme in the 2020 budget.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
