By Victor Nwachukwu
Owerri – The selection committee for the Federal Government’s Special Public Works (SPW) programme has dispatched 18,900 forms for onward distribution in Imo.
The state’s committee chairman, Mr Sylvester Obinna, handed over the forms to representatives of various sectors, at the flag off of the programme on Tuesday in Owerri.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the flag-off was witnessed by religious leaders, traditional rulers and management of the National Directorate for Employment (NDE), among others.
Obinna lauded the President Muhammadu Buhari- led government for the initiative while urging the heads of sector to eschew nepotism and ensure the actualisation of the federal government’s target of job creation for Nigerians at the lowest social ladder.
The sectors include Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), academic institutions, peculiar interest groups, youth groups and market women.
Others are traditional rulers, the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and representatives the Islamic religion.
The chairman also urged members of the committee to ensure that 200 slots out of 1000 slots for each LGA are reserved for graduates of higher learning.
He added that each sector representatives was expected to reach persons in all 27 LGAs of the state under their sector.
According to him, the programme was created for ad-hoc employment of Nigerians who are not gainfully employed for public works, so as to give them a means of livelihood and restore their faith in the country.
“The forms have been customized and embossed with some security features. Every Local Government Area has its own forms meant for the recruitment of Nigerians who are resident in that LGA irrespective of which part of the country they come from.
“Government will not tolerate gender, ethnic or religious bias. You must exercise caution in the execution of this assignment as you are under watch. Also, there should be 20 per cent graduate recruitment in all LGAs”, he said.
He however, warned that the forms are without charge, adding that any committee member found demanding charges from beneficiaries would be prosecuted accordingly.
(NAN)
