>
After several postponements, the Special Public Works Programme which would engage 774,000 unemployed Nigerians will kick off nationwide on Tuesday.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, while making the announcement on Sunday evening via his Twitter handle, explained that the President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the commencement of the programme.
“President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the take off of the Special Public Works Programme (engaging 774,000 unemployed itinerant Nigerians) to begin nationwide on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021. All NDE state structures are already in top gear for the take-off ceremonies,” he tweeted.
The programme, designed to employ 1,000 Nigerians from each of the 774 local government areas in the country was initially scheduled for launch on October 1, 2020, but it ran into hitches following the power play between Keyamo and the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment,Nasir Ladan, who was sacked in December.
Each of the 774,000 workers will earn N20,000 monthly for the duration of the job, amounting to about N46.44 billion
The ministers are expected to launch the scheme in their respective states with the governors.