Unemployment: Senate calls for national emergency


The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal and State governments, including local government councils to declare a national emergency on the provision of employment to the youths in the country.

It was gathered that Senate made the call on Wednesday after Senator Ike Ekweremadu cited Orders 42 & 52 and moved a motion on the escalating rate of unemployment in the country.

Contributing to the motion, amongst others, were Senators Smart Adeyemi, Istifanus Gyang, Francis Ezenwa, Biodun Olujimi, Benjamin Uwajumogu and Olubunmi Adetunmbi.

“Unemployment affects everyone here directly or indirectly. This is an issue that we should take very seriously. Banks in Nigeria contributed in no small measure to unemployment in Nigeria. They do not give credit facility to young  Nigerians to run business.


“This is a complex problem. Let us look at the banking sector. In addressing unemployment, we must look at funding, which is important.”- Senator Adeyemi said.

According to Senator Gyang, “The situation of unemployment has brought upon a trauma of helplessness. Many of our youths are well-read, have multiple certificates and still unemployed.

“The government of Nigeria should declare a state of emergency on unemployment in this country so that all hands will be on deck and deliberate steps must be taken to ensure we rescue Nigerian youths that are in the state of trauma.

“It is important to ensure that the private sector is empowered to provide an enabling environment to create employment for our youths”.

Senator Ezenwa argued that, “Unemployment today is considered to be a monster that if we are not careful it will consume us as a nation. It is clear that the private sector cannot employ the number of people in the unemployment market. What we need to do is to give incentives to the private sector to do the needful”.

Senator Olujimi: “We must declare an emergency on unemployment. There is a limit to age when it comes to employment. The emergency is as good as being declared now because something has to be done”.

Senator Uwajumogu: “The skills acquisition centers we have should be made to function. If we want to do something about unemployment, we need to ensure skill acquisition centers function.”-

Senator Adetunmbi: “We need to reshape the narrative and approach to solve the unemployment of young Nigerians. The theater of solving the problem of unemployment in Nigeria is resting in the state. The kind of emergency we are asking for should be directed at the state”.

Following debate on the motion, Senate urged the Federal, State and Local Governments to declare emergency on the provision of employment to the youths of Nigeria; and also urged the Federal Government through the Ministry of National Planning to put up a mechanism and programme that will provide employment for our teeming unemployed graduates in all tiers of the government.

The Senate also urged the Federal, State and Local Governments to revitalize existing industries, build new ones and provide a conducive and enabling environment for the private sector to build more industries; and also urged the Federal Government to initiate a sustainable unemployment fund for the payment of living stipends to unemployed Nigerians until such persons secure any kind of employment.

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