In an unprecedented manner, the lobby of the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Thursday was filled to the brim following the influx of job seekers.
The army of unemployed youths in their numbers, both male and female, stormed the nation’s lawmaking building in search of legislative jobs and office assistance.
Most of them were seen with their credentials pleading with the lawmakers to offer them a job in their offices. Many of the job seekers would have been among the voters who helped the politicians to elective offices.
The workless class who are in different academic categories defied the directives of the sergeant-at-arms that loitering at the lobby was prohibited.
The security operatives had a hectic time to control the surging crowd who are roaming around in the lobby.
The situation which many job racketeers have taken advantage of promising to secure a job for the unsuspecting applicants in exchange for money.
Each senator is entitled to five staff which include legislative aide, secretary, office assistance, cleaner, and driver.
Also, some of them can engage the service of professionals like lawyers as consultants who will guide and give them professional advice on various bills.
Some legislative aides to federal lawmakers in October 2018 staged a peaceful protest to demand their unpaid allowances.
They accused the lawmakers of not paying their salaries and duty tour allowances (DTA) among others, since the inception of the 8th assembly.
President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to take 100 million Nigerians from poverty to prosperity in the next 10 years on June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
The National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS ) in its report said that Nigeria’s unemployment rate has risen from 18.8 percent to 23.1 percent.
The NBS stated that the number of persons in the labour force increased from 85.1 million in the third quarter of 2017 to 90.5 million in the third quarter of 2018.
