The Federal Government has said the portal in circulation on the social media for its recruitment exercise of 774, 000 Nigerians for the Special Public Works program is fake.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, on April 6, 2020, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the engagement of 774, 000 Nigerians on Special Public Works programme in the country to cushion the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
She explained that 1, 000 people were expected to be recruited from each of the 774 local government areas in the country. According to her, N60 billion for allowances and operational cost has been earmarked from the COVID-19 crisis intervention fund for the initiative.
Now some fraudsters are taking advantage of the announcement to defraud Nigerians to open a fake website for the employment purpose.
The Minister of Labour and Employment (state) Festus Keyamo, via his official Twitter handle on Friday, said the government had no link with the website. He said that; “the advertorial circulating on Social Media tilted ‘Application Opens For 774,000 Employment By FG: See Requirements, Salary And How To Apply’ is fake” He added that; “the advertorial goes ahead to state Stipends and Commissions, Requirements, How To Apply, Closing Date, etc.”
Keyamo is the supervising minister over the National Directorate of Employment, the agency anchoring the Special Public Works (SPW) Programme. Keyamo noted that he had spoken with the Director-General of the NDE, Dr. Nasiru Ladan Mohammed Argungu over the development, adding that: “We wish to alert members of the public that the said advertorial or anything of such presently circulating is fake and should be disregarded.” He added that: “I have just finished consultation with the Hon. Minister of Finance and we are presently working out how the scope of the program would be expanded and executed with other relevant Ministries and stakeholders across the country.”
He further explained that the public would be duly informed by his office when all the modalities have been graciously approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. ”We are also informed of instructions by certain persons going round in some States to the effect that names of those to be employed under the program should be compiled. “We also urge these people not to embark on an exercise in futility as the guidelines for such recruitment and those to be involved have not been released by the agency, ” Keyamo stated
