Deji Elumoye in Abuja
The Senate at an executive session wednesday mandated the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the contentious issue of the employment of 774,000 public workers.
The issue had led to exchange of words between the National Assembly and the Minister of State for Labour, Mr.Festus Keyamo, who had announced on Tuesday that President Buhari had given him go-ahead to recruit the social workers without recourse to the National Assembly.
Sources told THISDAY that Keyamo’s latest assertion on the programme which is to gulp N52 billion formed the basis of the closed-door session that lasted from 10.30am 12.30 pm.
Senators across party divides were said to have expressed reservations about Keyamo’s vituperations and called for urgent steps to be taken against the junior minister by the legislative arm.
A ranking senator said it was on this basis that all the Senators present at the executive session agreed that the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, should meet with President Buhari and impress it upon him the need to maintain the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislative arm of government.
THISDAY learnt that the meeting with the President is expected to hold before Tuesday which is the next adjourned date of the Senate “as the upper legislative chamber is scheduled to hold another closed-door session on that day to discuss the outcome of the Assembly leadership’s meeting with President
Buhari.
The Senate has also chosen not to glorify Keyamo with any reply and it has asked its spokesman, Senator Ajibola Basiru, not to issue any statement on Keyamo’s tantrums or grant any media interview.
