By Abolaji Adebayo
Fidelity Bank has won the account for the payment of the 1,000 beneficiaries of the 774,000 Federal Government’s Expanded Special Public Works Programme (ESPWP) jobs in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area (LGA).
A text message to beneficiaries from the National Directorate of Employment asked them to report to the bank’s branch at 11 Banjoko Street, Oshodi on October 30, this year to perfect their applications.
Mr. Wale Adelaja, a member of the Lagos State Committee saddled with the implementation of the programme is coordinating Oshodi-Isolo LGA.
The LGA includes Isolo and Ejigbo local council development areas.
Those who were able to verify their names on the list on October 30, this year were given account opening forms.
The text message triggered a mass movement of would-be beneficiaries to the bank’s branch but many of them were disappointed when they discovered that their names were not on the list.
Bank officials however explained that the list would be taken in batches.
Fidelity Bank’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr. Charles Aigbe confirmed the development.
The race for the accounts of stipends to be paid to beneficiaries of the programme at local governments seemed to have been neck to neck as frontline banks got their own pieces of the pie.
ECHONEWS learnt that Access Bank got Alimosho Local Government Area and Heritage Bank got Badagry Local Government Area.
The verification continues as the state committee gets set to distribute equipment supplied to execute jobs under the scheme.
The chairman of the Lagos State Committee on the programme, Alhaji Mutiu Are told ECHONEWS that the suppliers have delivered 85 percent of the equipment.
“The suppliers have done very well. They have supplied 85 percent of the equipment,” he said.
The equipment includes wheelbarrows, cleaning materials and face shields to ensure compliance with COVID-19 protocols.
He explained that Lagos State has 20,000 beneficiaries based on 1,000 beneficiaries per local government.
To ensure the principle of inclusion, stakeholders including personalities and organisations at the national, state and local government levels were allocated slots.
The nominees were asked to fill forms and submit before September 30, this year.
ECHONEWS learnt that the state committee screened out applicants who supplied information out of line with the objectives of the programme.
A source disclosed: “Applicants were screened out because they did not fulfil the criterion as some filled age beyond 50 years, some filled the address that is not within the local government (some filled the form in Oshodi-Isolo but put Ogun State address).
“We screened everybody who filled the age that is more than 50 years because the programme is meant for people between the ages of 18 and 50 years.
“Some applicants filled Ogun State address while submitting forms in Oshodi-Isolo. Some others reduced their ages in order to benefit from the scheme but their BVN exposed their real ages and were disqualified.”
The screened forms were submitted to the National Directorate of Employment for further screening.
Since the first batch of applicants were invited and verified by the banks, others have been on a waiting game.
In Isolo LCDA, the local government authority said none of their applicants have been invited.
The Secretary to the Local Government (SLG), Ejigbo LCDA, Hon. Pual Fregene told ECHONEWS that many youths in Ejigbo believe they were not shortlisted as they could not find their names on the list when they visited the bank.
Reacting to the complaints, one of the committee members set up for the coordination of the programme in Lagos State who spoke to ECHONEWS on anonymity said the list of 1,000 shortlisted applicants has been sent to the bank.
According to him, the reason why some people have not been called by the bank to open account could be due to some mistakes on their forms.
He explained that the committee was at the bank in Oshodi on the first day when more than 200 applicants were attended to, adding that a great number was also attended to the second day.
He noted that many applicants were not called by the bank because their phone numbers were either incorrect or have been changed.
While affirming that the list of 1,000 shortlisted applicants has been sent to the bank, he advised the applicants who are yet to be called to visit the bank to see whether their names are on the list rather than complaining.
As part of efforts to ease the effect of coronavirus pandemic lockdown on the people especially the youths, the federal government devised a scheme of 1,000 jobs for each of the 774 local government areas across the country.
The shortlisted youths between the ages of 18 and 50 are to be paid N20,000 for three months for engaging in public works such as street sweeping, traffic control, market fumigation and others.
Just like the previous empowerment programmes, it is another scheme by the federal government to create transient jobs for the 774,000 youths for three months to support reduce poverty.
The government has earlier created such financial empowerment programmes for the youths and the traders which include N-Power, Tradermoni, National Social Investments Programmes (NSIP), Covid-19 Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT), and now the Extended Special Public Works Programme (ESPWP) in which youths would be engaged in public works and paid N20,000 each for three months.
The Expanded Special Public Works Programme (ESPWP) was set up by the Federal Government to provide poverty and income relief by creating temporary work opportunities for the unskilled, unemployed, poor and vulnerable (including the disabled).
Oshodi-Isolo LGA received a total number of 170 forms representing 17 per cent of the total forms which were shared among the heads of the sectors, departments, groups and associations for onward distribution to the youths in the community.
For instance, out of the 170 forms, the Executive Chairman received two, the Vice Chairman was given five, SLG got three, the Executive Exco got 20, the council leader received three while others such as associations, religious bodies, market leaders, etc., were given their own proportions for distribution among their members.
Similar distribution method was used in Isolo and Ejigbo LCDAs which obtained 168 (16.8 per cent) and 170 (17 per cent) forms each.
The total number of forms received by the LG and the two LCDAs is 508 – 50.8 per cent of the total 1,000 forms.
Local governments are already working out how to engage the beneficiaries whenever they resume work.
The chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Hon. Monsuru Bello Obe who said chairmen have been waiting for further directives on the programme told ECHONEWS that they would be engaged in community works.
“We shall deploy them to the desilting of drains and evacuation of refuse to improve the environment of the council area,” he said.