The Senate on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the state of unemployment, adding that the time has come for the government to confront the issue “frontally and radically.”
The lawmakers, who arrived at the situation following the adoption of a motion moved by Senator Duro Faseyi, also summoned the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige to appear before them and brief the legislators on measures being taken to tackle unemployment.
Besides, the senators also agreed to organise a one-day retreat to deliberate on the state of unemployment in the country, its causes and effects.
Senator Faseyi in the motion, expressed concern over what he described as “scandalous and incredible level of unemployment” as exemplified by 13.3 per cent double digit figure released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The Senator said it represents the worst unemployment situation the country ever, adding that the situation was far alarming.
He also said the number of unemployed Nigerians rose from 24.4 million in the first quarter of 2016 to 26.06 million in the second quarter.
Faseyi observed that the economic recession confronting the country could only aggravate the unemployment rate, adding that the development has created social tension and crisis of unimaginable proportion.
According to him, vices such as kidnapping, abduction, armed robbery, insurgency have been on the rise as a result of joblessness among the youth.
He also declared that the fact that the country has 370,000 policemen to police 170 million Nigerians and nine military personnel to 10,000 citizens provides the Federal Government with the window of opportunities to enlist young graduates into the nation’s security outfits and consequently reduce unemployment.
In another motion moved by Senator Sam Anyanwu, the Senate decried the congestion in Nigerian Prisons and advised the Federal Government to make deliberate efforts to decongest the prisons.