Rivers senator to colleagues: We’ll get 5m youth off the streets if we sell some of our cars

Andrew Uchendu, senator representing Rivers east, has asked his colleagues to sell some of their cars and use the proceeds to empower unemployed youth in the country.

He made the point while contributing to a debate at the senate on Thursday.

Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna central, had drawn the attention of his colleagues to the killing of Faye Mooney, a British tourist, and Matthew Oguche, her partner, at Kajuru Castle in Kaduna state.

In his contribution, Uchendu said unemployment was fueling insecurity.

On the suggestion of his colleagues putting up their car for sale, Uchendu said  proceeds from this could be used to establish factories that can take over five million jobless youth off the streets.

“We own three, four, five vehicles and I’m sure we can do much better with two,” he said.

“Our contemporaries in US, do they own four vehicles on the road? If we dispose of our two vehicles and use the proceeds to set up a small industry, wouldn’t we be engaging five youths – we will be taking more than five million youth from the highway.”

The senator wondered why recommendations of a security summit held by the senate had not been implemented.

“Under your leadership there was a security summit, conclusions were reached to study all the contributions and make appropriate recommendations, the question I want to ask is where do we go from there?” he asked.

“Has anything been done, if nothing has been done, why? We come here everything violence and security and all that.

“Who are the key drivers of this process, these killings, the youths. They have two vital assets, time and energy. Until our youths are a engaged, Mr President, this problem will continue.”