President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said on Monday that the 2021 budget which is yet being processed by the National Assembly should be mindful of the youth unemployment in the country.
He challenged his colleagues in positions of authorities to be proactive in responding to issues of youth employment and empowerment so as to escape another round of #EndSARS protests.
Lawan made this statement in Abuja, at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture on 2021 budget defense.
The Senate President said, “Recently, we had protests by some of our youths. Some of them, very genuine, were seeking the attention of leaders and they got the attention.
“So, our budget, especially for 2021, should be mindful of what we do to provide employment opportunities for these youths.
“They demonstrated, they protested because they could do so. There are so many other people who may not be youthful but are also in the same need. They didn’t protest.
“Let us meet them where they are, we don’t want to wait until they also start to grumble or protest we should be proactive.
“So we should meet them there. Give them what we can and what they need to some extent, within the purview of our resources and give them there, to make them live a productive life and that is the only way we can make a difference in the lives of the people.”
Lawan said the oil sector and white-collar jobs could no longer provide the required employment to keep the youths busy and financially stable.
