Senate asks FG to declare state of emergency on unemployment

The senate has asked the federal government to declare a state of emergency on unemployment.

In a motion on Tuesday, Duro Faseyi, a senator from Ekiti north, said the level of unemployment in the country was intolerable.

Quoting unemployment figures by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the legislator stated that the number of unemployed people in the country rose from 24.4 million to 26.06 million in the second quarter of 2016.

“The worrisome and mind-boggling figures have created social tension and crisis as unemployed graduates are now involved in crime,” he said.

“If urgent and resulted-oriented steps are not taken, there would be resultant colossal increase in strife and insecurity.”

Speaking on the motion, Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, said it was time to declare a state of emergency on unemployment and to improve infrastructural development.

The senate, thereafter, resolved to invite the minister of labour and productivity to provide insight into government’s road towards tackling unemployment.

It also urged the government to confront the problem frontally and radically.

In another motion by Matthew Urhogide, from Edo state, which was on the need to remove age-bracket specification in employment, the upper legislative chamber resolved to mandate ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to de-emphasise age-bracket requirement in employment for first-time applicants.

It also resolved to mandate MDAs and the private sector to de-emphasise cognate experience as a prerequisite for first-time applicants.