ABUJA: Reps Orders FG To Swap 23,846 Ghost Workers With Unemployed Youths

THE House of Representatives yesterday ordered the Federal Government to judiciously swap the 23,846 ghost workers it laid off from its payroll with the unemployed Nigerian youths that have been battling with unemployment in the country.

The House in its plenary presided by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, adopted the motion sponsored by Hon. Dickson Tarighir (Benue-APC), arguing that since the federal government had been able to carry the load of paying ghost workers who never existed, rather than convert their entitlements as savings for the government, it should be judiciously used to reduce unemployment to the genuine Nigerian youths looking for jobs.

“Í am not in doubt of the many curriculum vitae my colleagues have continued to collect from schooled but jobless constituents. This House has the identity of one commitment which is to ease the plight of Nigerian and of our youths especially. We will therefore, be living the essence of our stewardship if we once again show them that we care about their welfare and progress. There is no task more honouring than that, when ghost workers were discovered,  we spoke pout vehemently asking that Nigerian youth, eager and willing to work are made to replace ghost workers”, he said.

Giving a further breakdown, he stated that with the number of ghost workers discovered and consequently laid off, the federal government could convert it to employment opportunities putting into consideration that creation of jobs for the youths is one of the cardinal agendas of the present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari. 

“This is about 14 persons per Local Government (LG). From Kano State that has 44 LG, its about 27 applicants off the unemployed cadre. From each of the 23 LG of Benue State, its about 36 applicants off the street. Do the maths per state, Federal constituency and you will have a grasp of what effect the decision of this House on this day shall have on the nation”, he explained.

It would be recalled that the Ministry of Finance had last week said that it had laid off the 23,846 ghost workers in its payroll and thereby saving a total of N2,293bn hitherto lost monthly over the years..