WHY 774,000 JOBS APPLICANTS HAVE NOT BEEN PAID

THE Federal Government yesterday gave reasons for the delay in the payhired ment of N20,000 stipends to some itinerant workers of the 774,000 jobs.

It said designated banks for the programme discovered massive irregularities in the personal data submitted by some of the participants.

The government, in a statement by the Head of Information and Public Relations of the National Directorate of Employment

(NDE), Edmund Onwuliri, said it was working hard to ensure that all registered and duly verified participants under the Extended Special Public Works (SPW) programme get their pay.

The SPW is Federal Government’s ad hoc programme to provide a stop-gap three-month jobs for artisans to earn N20,000 monthly stipend for doing public works.

One thousand youths were

from each of the 774 local government areas in the country as beneficiaries, bringing the figure to 774,000 participants.

The programme was kickstarted in January this year by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.

The statement reads: “Available statistics indicates that much of the delay in payment of stipends to the participants has been occasioned by massive irregularities discovered by the banks in the personal data submitted by participants.

“For instance, many participants across the country had provided personal data that are at variance with their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), among other irregularities. This development, if unchecked, would have resulted in the payment of persons other than the actual participants.

“The designated banks have spent a lot of time and efforts at rectifying such anomalies which consequently has slowed down the pace of payment.”