Keyamo Should Be In Prison For Hijacking N52b NDE Fund, Says Senator

The lawmaker representing Osun West Senatorial District at the Senate, Adelere Oriolowo, has attacked the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, for undertaking disbursement of N52 billion to Nigerian youths under the Extended Special Public Works.

The lawmaker said the minister should be in jail for diversion of N52 billion budgetary allocation to the National Directorate of Employment to the scheme.

Oriolowo spoke on Thursday at The Wings School, Iwo, in Osun State while delivering a public lecture titled, “Connecting Nigeria to its teeming youth: Detonating time bomb” to mark the International Youth Day.

He berated the idea of giving handouts to the youths, saying it would not take them out of poverty.

The senator who condemned government and politicians’ approach to tackling poverty by giving out money to Nigerian youths, called for job creation, skill acquisition and training as a way of addressing the issue.

He said the N52 billion to be disbursed for the youths in 772 local government areas was appropriated for the National Directorate of Employment in the budget which Keyamo allegedly hijacked.

The senator said, “Youths are now certificates oriented and many of them can not defend their certificates. Sometimes ago, the Federal Government disclosed that they wanted to distribute money.

” They earmark N52 billion to empower the youths by giving them N20,000 for three months. They will pick 1000 youths from each of the 774 local government areas. They will now give them N60,000 at the end of three months. This has resulted in fights and contests.

“Keyamo was one of the advocates for the youths, but when he comes to the matter of free money, he started fighting rough. Originally, he ought to be in a correctional centre because that money was appropriated for NDE. It is just like they appropriate money for Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSADEP) and the Ministry of Agriculture is now claiming the money.

“Nigerians will always look for ways to make jest of politicians, youths were happy when he was fighting the Senate. Keyamo insisted that he will preside over the disbursement of N52 billion for youths.

“The most important thing, the N52billion can establish an industry. If government go to all the senatorial districts instead of local government areas to distribute the money to 109 of them (senatorial districts) to create jobs and establish industries for youths that will be supervised, it will help a lot.

“The meaning of empowerment to the average Nigerian is to give money but this is an insatiable urge. The money can never go round, the vulnerable will be disadvantaged.

“I so much believe in infrastructure like the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads I am facilitating across the Osun West Senatorial district to Oyo State. Youths and children must think because the future of the country is with them.

“My farm was looted during #EndSARS and properties were destroyed. The elders and people around me that came to see the damages wept bitterly. The farm I started in 1982 were destroyed, many of the thieves that invaded my farm were not born when I started farming business.”

The proprietor of The Wings School, who is a former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof.Lai Olurode, also agreed with the senator, saying giving money to the youths would not acheive its goal of taking them away from poverty.