The immediate past Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, SAN, faced a rigorous scrutiny session during his ministerial screening on Monday. The Senate proceedings became divisive and tumultuous as Keyamo navigated through the questioning.
Festus Keyamo, nominated for the ministerial role from Delta State, encountered opposition when Senator Darlington Nwokocha (LP, Abia Central), the Deputy Minority Leader, raised a point of order at 1:37 p.m.
Senator Nwokocha’s point of order related to a matter from 2020 concerning the public works program aimed at employing 1,000 Nigerians in each local government area across the country.
Citing Section 88(1b) of the amended 1999 Constitution, Senator Nwokacha reminded Keyamo of his accusations against the National Assembly, alleging corruption and an attempt to control the disbursement of the N52 billion funds.
As per Section 88, each House of the National Assembly has the authority to investigate (a) any matter within its legislative jurisdiction, and (b) the actions of any parastatal or official responsible for administering National Assembly Acts or managing fund disbursement.
As Senator Nwokocha expanded on the issue, his frustration grew, leading to a motion to temporarily suspend Keyamo’s screening.
Senator Enyinnaya (APGA, Abia South) seconded the motion, underscoring that the nominee had previously rejected summonses from both the Senate and House of Representatives concerning the public works program