Editorial
The plan by the Federal Government to engage the services of 774,000 youths for menial jobs was hailed by Nigerians when it was announced. As part of efforts to contain the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most vulnerable Nigerians, the government came up with the idea to soak up the energies of unemployed, unskilled youths roaming the streets with no visible means of income.
It was meant to be an emergency intervention scheme that would provide jobs for 1,000 young men and women to fix broken roads and be engaged in the public works sector for three months, earning a paltry N10,000 each per month. But, as are most matters in the country, it has been bogged down by controversy between the executive and legislative arms of government. While the constitutional responsibility of the executive is to formulate policies and see to the implementation, lawmakers whose duty it is to appropriate the funds needed for the implementation have often argued that a portion of the pie be allotted to them. In this case, they got enmeshed in a contest for power and territory with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, who was saddled with the task of seeing to swift implementation of the policy by the President as the Chief Executive of the Federation.
Unfortunately, the lawmakers are not content with providing the needed funding framework to the delight of the youth, they have insisted on supplying the names of those to be so engaged and paid. The minister has, however, refused to yield territory. He said he would only allot 30 slots to each of the legislators, but this has not gone down well with them. The opposition members of the House of Representatives rejected the offer. They insisted that the scheme should be suspended until the rift is sorted out. This is unpatriotic. The argument that they know their constituents better and would be in a better position to choose beneficiary does violence to the concept of separation of powers. As lawmakers, they should not become stumbling blocks to the plans to take people off the streets. It would have been logical if they had simply asked to know the framework for identifying beneficiaries in the 774 local government areas of the country. What patriotic lawmakers could do is ask the ministry to furnish it with the criteria for recruiting participants, and insist that the names of all beneficiaries be published on a website, with their verifiable addresses and identities.
We warn that time is running out. There is palpable tension in the land as the youth are getting more restive by the day. The old saying that “an idle hand is the devil’s workshop” appears to be playing out as crime rates are soaring in the country. People keep wondering those consuming the legion narcotics being seized daily by the law enforcement agencies, and how the insurgents are recruiting their soldiers. As long as we fail to come up with short, medium- and long-term efforts to get the unskilled and skilled youths gainfully engaged, we would have to battle with the grievous consequences. Unless we urgently fix this broken chain, the future would remain bleak. We will continue to contend with kidnapping, armed robbery and other economic crimes nationwide.
The minister, too, should note that all eyes are on him to see how well he would execute the programme. If he fails the commencement date of October, the objective might have been vitiated. This is a pilot programme that might become a model for the states. The scourge of unemployment should be urgently defeated if peace is to be restored to the country. This is neither about Peoples Democratic Party nor the All Progressives’ Congress. He has to stand above partisan considerations to give all Nigerians a sense of belonging, as the money being disbursed belongs to all. He must remember that he made a name that recommended him for ministerial appointment by being an advocate of the poor and voiceless. He cannot afford to tarnish that with the temporary engagement as a minister. There is life outside government.
The media, labour and civil society groups have a duty to closely monitor the scheme and ensure all goes well. This is the point at which the oversight function of the legislators is useful, not by descending into the arena.
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