The Senate has moved a motion to probe the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration on allegations surrounding the alarming rate of unemployment in the country as against the government initiatives to quell the crisis.
Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari
Citing mismanagement of funds, the Senate, yesterday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to begin immediate probe of his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, in his handling of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, according to the Vanguard.
The red chamber said it was imperative that President Buhari ask his predecessor to account for every penny spent during the latter‘s administration on the SURE-P and other poverty alleviation programmes.
This came just as it ruled against the implementation of the N5,000 monthly stipend to unemployed Nigerian youths as the President promised during his campaign.
The advice to probe Jonathan was sequel to an additional prayer moved by Senator Babajide Christopher Omoworare to Senator Bassey Albert Akpan-sponsored motion, entitled: “Urgent need to curb the soaring rate of unemployment in Nigeria,” which he presented for consideration during yesterday’s plenary.
“I want to move that the immediate past government be made to account for every penny spent on SURE-P and other poverty alleviation programmes, and I so move, Mr. President,” Omoworare said.
When Saraki put the question to voice vote, the ayes response came from the APC senators, but the PDP senators kept mute to the nay call.
In the motion, Akpan observed that the latest figures of Nigeria’s soaring unemployment situation by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBC) has increased to 8.2 percent in the second quarter of 2015 from 7.5 percent in the first quarter of 2015 and 6.4 percent in the last quarter of 2014.