Oscarline Onwuemenyi
07 May 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has called on the Federal Government to invest the recovered loot in infrastructure, manufacturing and any enterprise that would lead to job creation and economic growth, warning that the employment crisis in the country is a time bomb waiting to explode.
According to a statement signed by TUC’s President, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, the congress contended that the long years of negligence and adverse policies of government which had led to the under-utilisation of needed resources to maximum economic benefits was a major reason for unemployment and poverty in Nigeria.
He said: “TUC sees unemployment as a deliberate creation of our politicians. They know that when the youths are engaged they will cease to be willing tools for political thuggery, ballot box snatchers, body guards, etc. Politicians make our youths do what they would not want their children do.
“They call the youths ‘future generation’ yet they crush their opportunities. We are in a recession and yet there is hardly any week billions of naira, British pounds and Euros are not recovered from markets, abandoned houses, toilets, airport, etc. We urge government to invest all the recovered loot in infrastructure, manufacturing and any enterprise that would lead to job creation and economic growth.”
It added that, “The on-going economic recession has worsened workers challenges in terms of purchasing power and non review of minimum wage. Job losses are increasing in a geometric manner and factories are closing shops. Anti-labour activities, massive corruption among the elites, dearth of forex scarcity, oil price crash are all man-made problems. For the umpteenth time, we reiterate that we need a paradigm shift if we must count among the comity of nations.
“Our faith and hope wane by the demoralizing crises in the political parties. Even the National Assembly where the two major parties constitute the majority has also not known peace since inception. They have failed to do their statutory responsibility which is to churn out developmental and transformational laws.
“All they talk about are: uniform, fake certificate, insincerity in the declaration of assets, stolen monies in market, soak away, dilapidated houses, septic tanks, airports, burial grounds, and the failure of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to tell Nigerians the total amount of money so far recovered.”
