Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has said that the Federal Government’s Special Public Works Programme was not a white-collar job designed for political patronage, but a scheme created to alleviate the negative effect of COVID-19 on the economy.
He, therefore, urged prospective participants in the scheme to be prepared to work diligently so that the government would achieve the purpose for which the programme was set up.
Dr. Fayemi stated this on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti, during the inauguration of members of the Ekiti State FGN Public Work Committee.
The Governor who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, urged the selection committee to be transparent, fair and avoid sharp practices in the selection of willing applicants for the programme.
A total of 16,000 Ekiti youths are to participate in the programme, which is designed to recruit 1,000 youths per local government. Ekiti has 16 local governments.
The Governor, who stressed that applicants must be ready to put in their best in executing the assignment given them, advised that the nitty-gritty of the job be translated to local languages in order for applicants to fully understand the motive behind the programme.
Emphasizing the significance of the project to his administration’s plan to lift the state out of poverty, Fayemi said he was optimistic that the public work would inject a monthly sum of N320 million to the local governments in the State.
He said: “The Chairman of the Committee has spoken about the mandate of the Committee and I concur with all he said, especially the aspect that spelt out, that this project is for all Ekiti Indigenes devoid of politics and also the issue that anybody that voluntarily applied for this assignment must be ready to work.
“Government will not listen to any complaint, I plead with the Committee to ensure that the content of this programme is translated to Ekiti dialect so that people will know what they are being called into, it is very important.
“I want to charge members of this Committee to be fair to all, be fair to Ekiti people and be fair to yourselves .”
In his speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Biodun Omoleye said individuals who were not prepared to be engaged as unskilled personnel need not apply, adding that the programme was designed to create a facelift in the lives of the people.
Omoleye commended President Mohammadu Buhari for approving the commencement of the programme as a measure to mitigate the biting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable unemployed Nigerians.
The Chairman who assured that members of the Committee would be fair in the selection of applicants into the programme revealed that successful applicants would be engaged in environmental and sanitation exercise to justify the value of the money they would be paid.
He added that the Committee would not hesitate to relieve erring members who engaged in any unwholesome practices during the exercise.
“The overall economic impact of the intervention is better imagined as it will also impact on generating additional income, through multiplier effects to well over 5,000 dependants and indirect beneficiaries.”
