Tobias Sylvester
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, has come under heavy criticism for distributing cutlasses, wheel-barrows as part of Special Public Works Programme which was designed to engage 774,000 unemployed Nigerians.
KanyiDaily reports that the Federal Government had initiated the Special Public Works programme to employ 1,000 Nigerians from each of the 774,000 local government areas.
The SPW programme, which was initially scheduled to be launched on October 1, 2020, was designed to pay each of the 774,000 workers N20,000 monthly for three amounts.
Yesterday, Festus Keyamo took to his Twitter page and share images from the launch of the program in his Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State.
In the photos, the minister is seen pushing a wheel-barrow in one and cutting grasses with a machete in another, suggesting those might be the empowerment tools.
He wrote: “As part of my activities last week, I travelled to Delta State to launch the Special Public Works Programme (774,000) jobs in my own Local Government Area (Uvwie LGA).”
As part of my activities last week, I travelled to Delta State to launch the Special Public Works Programme (774,000) jobs in my own Local Government Area (Uvwie LGA). pic.twitter.com/seUQgzZMGs
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) January 10, 2021
Many Nigerians have taken to social media to criticize Keyamo for turning citizens to “wheelbarrow pushers” and subjecting them to manual work.
Others said it was another form of ‘modern slavery’ to ask beneficiaries of the programme to cut grass with cutlasses for N20,000 per month.
All I can sincerely ask Sir Festus Keyamo is 'Have Lawnmowers become so expensive for the Federal Government?'. This is so wrong. Who advises these people in office? Nigerians deserve better honestly. Speechless to say the least.
— Ijezie Esq. (@_ijeomaijezie_) January 11, 2021
To see how useless APC is, how much would it cost them to purchase grass cutter in this 21century? Do they think we are still stupid like their irresponsible senses? Kwara Gov vs Festus Keyamo.
APC is such a party of morons. 💔 pic.twitter.com/mgS4EQQVNW
— Mr. Ba$h!r A$hura (@bashir_ashura) January 10, 2021
Festus Keyamo don loss Warri mentality na Fulani pikin now so therefore We are not suprise. https://t.co/DeC0lZ01kv
— Twoface_Human (@Twoface_Human) January 11, 2021
Please oooo
What’s the title of this Hellwood film were Festus keyamo acted as a 1975 local farmer aka Barrow pusher
This is Nigeria 🇳🇬 https://t.co/DpYhfsowH2— Thompson Ochuko (@OchukoThompson) January 11, 2021
Somebody should tell Minister Festus Keyamo
The first sign of poverty in any poor nation is that it's largely an agrarian society. When any government keeps nudging people to go back to the farm with like cutlasses, it's an attempt to impoverish them, not empower them.
— JFK | For A Better Nigeria (@JudeFeranmi) January 11, 2021
People with future Festus Keyamo pic.twitter.com/DiT328ZbyR
— Peace Of Mind (@wealthy_yute) January 11, 2021
When I first heard about it, I thought it was a joke, until I saw Festus Keyamo, SAN, cutting grass with his empowerment cutlass in 2021. @adeyanjudeji come n carry your decent man o. pic.twitter.com/UF5DqkZMdZ
— OC Emmanuel (@eonyeokeh) January 11, 2021
Please what’s Festus Keyamo doing with cutlass and wheelbarrow. Asking for a friend 🚶🏿♀️🚶🏿♀️🚶🏿♀️🚶🏿♀️
These are the real enemies of the youths not the 80+ year old men in politics ☹️ pic.twitter.com/aW6RFx2xxs— Favbreed #ThisIsNot1967 #BiafraNationNow (@Favbreed1) January 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/Hizzo9/status/1348613745011011584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1348613745011011584%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthewhistler.ng%2Fhave-grass-cutters-become-so-expensive-nigerians-attack-festus-keyamo-for-launching-774000-jobs-with-cutlass%2F
Someone has just informed me now,that Festus keyamo junketed from Abuja to Delta State to launch wheel barrows and cutlasses as employment scheme in 2021🤡🤡🤡 pic.twitter.com/b2dpIirXET
— chijiоke, Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering(Affidavit). (@Ekwulu) January 11, 2021
https://twitter.com/timiPR/status/1348608824979165185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1348608824979165185%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthewhistler.ng%2Fhave-grass-cutters-become-so-expensive-nigerians-attack-festus-keyamo-for-launching-774000-jobs-with-cutlass%2F
"Warri no dey carry last" but Festus keyamo went all the way to Abuja and returned to Delta with wheel barrows and cutlasses as employment scheme? in 2021? Lmaoooo
— DaniellaDavis (@DiDiPreedy) January 11, 2021
"Warri no dey carry last" but Festus keyamo went all the way to Abuja and returned to Delta with wheel barrows and cutlasses as employment scheme? in 2021? Lmaoooo
— DaniellaDavis (@DiDiPreedy) January 11, 2021
KanyiDaily recalls that the National Assembly had asked the President Muhammadu Buhari to remove Festus Keyamo from supervising the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians for the SPW programme.
