The announcement was made on Wednesday, July 1 after some lawmakers engaged in a shouting match with Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.

A spokesperson for the Senate, Ajibola Basiru who admitted that the recruitment exercise was suspended after a disagreement with Keyamo, said the Minister in charge of the Ministry has been ordered before the federal legislature to explain the recruitment modalities.

Basiru said, “In view of the foregoing, the implementation of the programme shall be on hold pending proper briefing of the National Assembly by the Minister of Labour and Productivity.”

The programme, expected to take off in October this year, was approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. It is expected that 1,000 Nigerians in each of the 774 local government areas of the country will be recruited into the programme where they will earn N20,000 as a monthly salary for three months.