Fact-check: Is the NDE accepting applications for the 774,000 social works programme?

Claim: A Facebook page published a post calling on job seekers to submit applications to the state offices of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for the Federal Government’s proposed 774,000 jobs under its Special Public Works (SPW) Programme.  Verdict:  The claim made by the Facebook page that the NDE was receiving applications for the  […]

Claim: A Facebook page published a post calling on job seekers to submit applications to the state offices of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for the Federal Government’s proposed 774,000 jobs under its Special Public Works (SPW) Programme. 

Verdict:  The claim made by the Facebook page that the NDE was receiving applications for the  Federal Government’s proposed 774,000 jobs is false.

The NDE and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, have separately debunked the claim.

A Facebook page with the name “Mukhtar Salihu Mukhtar” with a followership of 4,999 users, released a post calling on job seekers to submit applications to state offices of NDE for the proposed 774,000 Social Works Programme.

“Please go to the NDE office in your state and register for the 774,000 empowerment exercise going on now in the whole federation. Requirements; Name, Gender, phone number, a/c no., bank name, your LGA, Age, status and political ward,” the post read.

The post further listed the addresses of NDE offices in each of the states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

About SPW Programme

In October, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari approved a Pilot Special Public Works Programme in eight states of the Federation.

However, in April this year, the president approved the extension of the programme to all the 36 states and the FCT.

The SPW targets to recruit 1,000 persons from each of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country to carry out public works.

The Federal Government designed the poverty alleviation programme to cushion the negative effect of COVID-19 on Nigerians.

Premised on social works and infrastructure, the government is to pay successful applicants N20, 000 monthly.

To this effect, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the Federal Government has earmarked N60 billion from the COVID-19 crisis intervention fund to implement the SPW  from October to December, 2020.

In the same vein, the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the NDE recently inaugurated State Selection Committees.

Verification

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has said it did not authorise the viral social media recruitment advertorial, tagging it as fraudulent.

A disclaimer published by the NDE on its official website stated that the description of the implementation modalities for the proposed jobs were yet to be concluded.

“In reference to the 774,000 SPW jobs promised by the Federal Government of Nigeria, reports reaching the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) show that some fraudsters have started sending unauthorised advertorials calling for registration for the said 774000 SPW jobs,” the NDE said.

The NDE added that the registration for the programme has not commenced and the public would be informed when the portal is opened for registration.

“The members of the public should therefore disregard any publication calling for the registration on social media,” the NDE said.

Similarly, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, has also discredited the advertorial on social media.

“Kindly disregard all messages directing people to go to NDE offices to register for the Special Public Works. This will breach COVID-19 guidelines and it will not ensure we strictly achieve the 1000 per LGA. The selection will be done from LGA to LGA, not in States’ NDE offices,” Mr Keyamo said on his official Twitter handle.

The Minister also debunked a similar social media message calling on job seekers to submit applications on the SPW to ward leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I have not directed that forms for the SPW be distributed to APC ward leaders to give to party members. Any of such lists will be discountenanced. This is not an APC programme but a programme for all Nigerians. We shall only accept final lists from the States’ Selection Committee,” he said.

Conclusion

Based on the findings by Dubawa, the viral social media message calling on Nigerians to submit applications to the state offices of the NDE for the Federal Government’s proposed 774,000 jobs under its SPW Programme is false. The NDE has not commenced accepting such applications.

This fact-check is in collaboration with Dubawa 2020 Fellowship Programme supported by Heinrich Boll Stiftung Foundation.