Federal Government has appointed All Progressives Congress chieftain, Mutiu Are; the daughter of APC national leader and Iyaloja-General, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo; and the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Lagos State, Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo into the 20-member committee that will undertake the recruitment of 20,000 youths in Lagos.

Others appointed include former local government chairman, Kayode Elesin; the Commissioner for Works, Bamgbose Martins; the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Alexander Bamgbola; Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi; and APC woman leader for Lagos-Central, Mrs. Fadekemi Otitonaiye.

Former Chief Whip of the Lagos House of Assembly, Omotayo Oduntan-Oyelodun; and a member of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s campaign team, Wale Adelana are also on the committee.

Three monarchs were included in the committee alongside seven others- Prof. Tajudeen Gbadamosi; Modupe Ola, Ashiru Olakunle, Labrar Folami, Olufeko Adebowale, Serena Edward and Akanni Babatunde.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN), named Are as the chairman and Elesin as the vice-chairman.

Keyamo had inaugurated, by virtual means, the 20-member committees in the 36 States and the FCT that will select the 1000 persons per Local government area that would be engaged by the Federal Government in the Special Public Works Programme.

The programme seeks to employ about 774, 000 youths for three months and they would be engaged in unskilled jobs such as sweeping streets, clearing drainages, controlling traffic and road construction among others.

They are to be paid N20,000 a month.

According to the Federal Government, interested youths are allowed to apply regardless of political affiliation.

Keyamo had earlier on Tuesday alleged that politicians were trying to hijack the recruitment.

Keyamo (SAN), says members of the National Assembly cannot stop the selection process of the 774,000 Special Public Works Programme jobs.

He stated that the Joint Committees on Labour of both the Senate and the House tried to “control the programme as to who gets what, where and how”.

The minister insisted that he would not surrender the programme to the lawmakers’ control “since their powers under the constitution does not extend to that”.

He, therefore, directed the state selection committees to proceed with the recruitment process.

Keyamo, in a statement issued after his meeting with the NASS committee ended in a fiasco on Tuesday, said, “There was a misunderstanding between us when they questioned why I did not privately submit the programme to them for vetting before taking certain steps.

“They suggested that they ought to have an input on how the programme should be implemented.

“In other words, they sought to control the programme as to who gets what, where and how.

“However, I insisted that I could not surrender the programme to their control since their powers under the constitution does not extend to that.

Keyamo further stated, “After I left, I understand that the Joint Committees purportedly suspended the work of the selection committees nationwide until they decide how the programme should be run and who should be in those Committees.

“My opinion is that it is tantamount to challenging the powers of Mr President.

“I regret to say that their powers under section 88 of the 1999 Constitution is only limited to investigations, but not to give any directive to the executive.