By Victor AhiumaYoung, Abuja

Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, has expressed rage over the employment crises in the country, warning that “the economy is virtually collapsing with youths unemployment assumed an alarming rate.”

The Union also lamented that graduates from the nation’s “tertiary institutions are now jobless with people now asking if tertiary education has any value for children of the masses of this country.”

In a communiqué released at the end of its 8th Quadrennial National Delegates’ Conference in Abuja, by the President and General Secretary, Dr. Makolo Hassan, and Prince Peters Adeyemi, respectively, NASU, said: “The reality that this ugly situation is contributing to the escalation of the various forms of social vices rocking the nation such as increased rate of kidnapping, banditry, assassination, internet fraud, etc.”

According to the union, “the majority of youths who are termed to be employed are actually under-employed while the army of unemployed youths is potential recruits for criminals and criminality.

“The country’s over-reliance on imported goods and services is exacerbating the unemployment situation in the country as a result, turning the country into a dumping ground of goods and services and a creator of jobs for citizens of the exporting countries.We are disheartened that Government officials continue to admonish youths on the need to de-emphasize the over-reliance on paid jobs while embracing entrepreneurship.

“Unfortunately, entrepreneurship can only thrive when the Government provides an enabling environment.

“Some of the consequences of unemployment/underemployment include among others, kidnapping, banditry, drug addiction, rape, suicide, internet crimes, unwanted pregnancies as well as availability of a ready market for the recruitment of criminals.

”Members resolved that the Conference-in-Session calls on the Federal and State Governments to as a matter of urgency tackle the problems of increasing rate of unemployment and poverty, while providing gainful employment to the youths, before it consumes the nation.Conference-in-Session calls on Government at all levels to create job opportunities and an enabling environment that will attract investors, manufacturing companies increase the production of goods and services, and reduce the importation of goods that can be manufactured locally, thereby providing/creating jobs for our teeming unemployed youths.

“Conference-in-Session calls on the Federal and State Governments to as a matter of deliberate economic policy, increase and expand the scope of their assistance to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to enable them to be sustainable agents of job creation.

“They also faulted irregular payment of salaries by some state governments, saying “Section 15 of the Labour Act provides that wages shall be due and payable at intervals not exceeding one month.

“Prompt payment of salaries is a statutory and mandatory obligation which any employer of labour must fulfill without sentiments of any sort. Some State Governments owe employees of the State Salaries and Pensions for upward of 30 months. State governments’ allocation from the Federation Account has improved tremendously. Irregular salary payment is a breach of extant Labour Laws and impacts negatively on employees’ productivity.The Conference-in-Session calls on the State Governments who owe arrears of salaries and pensions to pay their workers pensioners without further delay.”