Last week’s hot exchange between the federal lawmakers and the Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mr. Festus Keyamo over the federal government’s proposed 774,000 recruitment exercise was avoidable had the minister or the lawmakers grown in their minds and dispositions.
There were questions as to how he arrived at about 12 other members of the 20-man committee, a development that the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, Nasiru Ladan Argungu, also confirmed and the lawmakers requested for a private session as a result.
Was that too much to ask? Isn’t it within their rights as lawmaker to so ask? Isn’t the programme for the government of which they are a part? So, what was his resistance about? Why did he honour their invitation with a mindset to fight and cause a scene? Has he forgotten he is now a minister and no longer the shadow-chasing activist, a volition, which ironically pushed him up the ladder of national assignment?
The lawmakers too acted very poorly by playing dirty and unruly. It has become their character portrait to be indecorous to officials of state. It is as if exhibiting bad manners in full view of cameras is something our lawmakers have come to relish. Despite our not accepting Keyamo’s conduct, we concede, nothing precludes him from asking for an open engagement with them in the spirit of transparency. Neither Keyamo nor the lawmakers acted right on this score.
