The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that the best way to remember Nigerian youths who lost their lives at the recent recruitment exercise into the Nigeria Immigration Service was to create more jobs for the unemployed.
She spoke at the Housing Stakeholders Summit in Abuja, yesterday, where she reiterated the determination of the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to create more jobs for youths in several sectors, including the housing, agriculture and ICT sectors, among others.
Her words, “the best way to honour the memory of the youths who died during the immigration exercise is for us to work harder to create more jobs.
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“We created 1.6m jobs as confirmed by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, but these are not enough. Every year 1.8m new entrants come into the job market. This is in addition to 5.3million that have accumulated over time. So we need to work harder and faster to create more jobs for our youths.
“We are focusing on housing because this sector can significantly increase the number of jobs in addition to growing the economy. This sector will create jobs for builders, carpenters, plumbers, managers, interior decorators and so many jobs.
“This event is not for long grammar. It is about action; it is about numbers, it is about meeting targets and deadlines so that the jobs will be created and the houses built.”
In her address, the Minister Lands, housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, said the Federal Government would reverse the current situation of foreigner artisans’ domination of the housing sector in the country.
She noted that foreigners constituted the critical mass of skilled artisans and craftsmen in the country’s housing industry, adding that the Federal Government would soon commence the training of artisans to take over the industry.
To this end, she revealed that the government would flag off a train-the-trainers programme involving over 1000 artisans and craftsmen in partnership with the National Home Builders Association and Home Builders Institute of the United States of America. USA.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, and the Comptroller General of Immigration, CGI, David Parradang, will appear before the Senate on Thursday and Friday to explain the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of about 19 Nigerian youths during the recent recruitment by the Nigeria Immigration Services.
The Senate had last Tuesday, roundly condemned the immigration job recruitment tragedy, which resulted in the death of about 19 applicants, including four pregnant women, as a result of stampede and exhaustion in different centres across the country.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, had while relying on Order 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Order in a motion on matter of urgent public importance, drew the attention of the senate to the catastrophe that hit the nation during the exercise.
Senator Bagudu had noted with grief the nationwide tragedy in the recruitment where it was reported that some of the applicants that attended the exercise lost their lives in different parts of the country.
Consequently, the Senate in its resolution, mandated its Committee on Interior to conduct a public hearing on the tragedy and submit a report within a week.
In compliance with the directives, the committee has summoned Moro, Parradang, and relevant stakeholders to appear before it for public hearing.
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