Buhari can’t deny jobless Nigerians stipends-- HURIWA
Posted by News Express | 6 November 2015 | 4,779 times
A pro-Democracy Non-governmental organization - Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil his presidential election campaign's social contract with millions of unemployed Nigerians by commencing the payment of monthly stipends and allowances to cushion the astronomic high cost of living which is pushing many youth to the life of crime and violence.
Besides, the Rights group said the President shouldn’t hide under any legislative cover to fail to implement the payment of N5, 000 Monthly stipends to millions of unemployed youth in Nigeria since it was a solemn campaign promise the President made directly to the Youth which convinced millions of youthful voters to cast their votes for the President in the hotly contested Presidential election.
In a statement signed jointly by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA condemned the Senator Bukola Saraki -led APC dominated parliament for standing between millions of jobless Nigerians and their eventual success in drawing from the national unemployment Fund that ought to have been set up by President Muhammadu Buhari following his success at the polls in which he canvassed the introduction of the payment of monthly stipends to unemployed Nigerians.
HURIWA has therefore called on youth- led civil society groups and students in Tertiary Institutions to galvanize civil forces to begin the recall of all the Senators who voted to stop the implementation of the monthly welfare scheme for jobless youths of Nigeria.
HURIWA said youth- based groups can file a request under the Freedom of information Act to the Clerk of the National Assembly to obtain records of votes and proceedings of Wednesday 4th November 2015 in which the largely APC votes undermined the introduction of the Monthly payment of stipends to jobless youths.
HURIWA recalled that the Senate on Wednesday 4th of November 2015 rejected a motion for the payment of N5, 000 monthly allowances to unemployed youths in the country.
The motion was sponsored by Sen. Philip Aduda (PDP FCT) but was greeted with shouts of ‘no, no’ when he tried to canvass for its passage.
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, posed the question but the senators responded along party lines.
While Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members yelled ‘aye’ in favour of the motion, All Progressives Congress (APC) senators, who were in majority, rejected it.
But HURIWA asked President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the resolution to deny the unemployed youth the right to benefit from a Monthly stipend since the motion passed to reject the Presidential initiative has no force of law and since Mr President can as well find acceptable ways and means of fulfilling this sacred pledge to the youth.
HURIWA said since President Muhammadu Buhari made this sacred promise to Nigerians which must be fulfilled, it was therefore criminal for the Senate to gang up against the implementation of a scheme that could take away over 25 million youth from abject poverty and the temptations of being recruited to the World of crime.
“Mr President must keep to his sacred oath to millions of Nigerians especially the unemployed youth by commencing the implementation of the payments of monthly unemployment stipends. Anything short of the quickest implementation is tantamount to saying that Mr President secured the votes of millions of youth through false pretences.”
•Photo shows Comrade Onwubiko.
Source: News Express
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