President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday approved the engagement of 774, 000 Nigerians on a Special Public Works programme in the country to help reduce the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, announced this at a press conference on fiscal stimulus measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday in Abuja.
She disclosed that 1, 000 people would be recruited from each of the 774 local government areas in the country.
Ahmed explained that N60 billion had been earmarked from the COVID-19 crisis intervention fund as allowances and operational costs for the initiative.
“Buhari has now approved that this programme be extended to all 36 States and the FCT from October to December 2020, and the selected time-frame was to ensure that it was implemented after the planting season.
“The Federal Ministry of Finance is evaluating to see best ways to extend the Special Public Works Programme, to provide stipends for workers to undertake Roads Rehabilitation and Social Housing Construction and also Urban and Rural Sanitation, Health Extension and other critical services.
“This intervention will be undertaken in conjunction with the key federal ministries responsible for Agriculture, Environment, Health, and Infrastructure and states to financially empower individuals who lost their jobs due to the economic crisis,” she added.
