Job creation will solve insecurity problem - Labour leaders

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Labour leaders on Thursday urged the Federal Government to give more attention to job creation to reduce insecurity in the country.

Reacting to the N4.75 trillion budget presented by President Goodluck Jonathan to the National Assembly in Abuja on Tuesday, the unionists told newsmen in Lagos that the rate of insecurity resulted from unemployment and poor infrastructure.

Mr Owei Lakemfa, the Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in a telephone said that insecurity had kept increasing ``because people are jobless and have no food to eat.

``When the citizens are abandoned and there is no food and no job, there will be insecurity in the country.

``There is the need to provide job opportunities and social amenities to curb the insecurity problem.''

The acting NLC scribe advised the government to place more emphasis on intelligence gathering rather than acquiring more arms and equipment or training security personnel.

He also appealed to the government to evolve a budget that would meet the needs of the people and to jettison its plan to remove the subsidy on fuel.

Also reacting, Mr Elijah Okougbo, the General Secretary, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, said that there was a need to review the 2012 budget for it to make the desired impact on the society.

He observed that the crime rate was on the increase because many people were not gainfully employed.

``There is mass unemployment and that is the cause of insecurity. If power is restored and adequate infrastructure are put in place, criminality will reduce,'' Okougbo said.

He advised the Federal Government to explore new oil fields, repair roads as well as build new refineries so as to create more jobs for the people.

In his view, Mr Adesunkanmi Adetunji, the President of the Senior Staff Association, Transport and Communication, also said that the problem of unemployment must be tackled so as to check insecurity.

He said the problems of power supply and education must be given priority in order to build a better future for the nation.

``A nation that does not have stable supply of electricity cannot boast of employment and if people are not gainfully employed, they will go into different vices.''

The union leaders, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to review the budget to provide the desired social services to the citizens.