The House of Representatives has urged President Bola Tinubu to lift the embargo on employment into agencies of government.

The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Francis Waive (APC-Delta) at a plenary session on Wednesday.

Moving the motion earlier, Mr Waive said then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime embargoed employment in federal agencies.

He said the ban became necessary amid the recession that hit the economy in the country due to the huge drop in the international price of crude oil at the time and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Waive stated, “For several years, there has not been any employment in the civil service of the federation, thereby creating a shortage of manpower, especially in the junior and middle-level cadre as officers are promoted and some retire, and others die.”

The legislator added, “Some agencies have resorted to engaging casual staff who are paid from their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and other sources. While it is sad that these casual staffs are non-pensionable, the act of spending government money without appropriation by the legislature for whatever purpose is illegal.”

The politician added that the withdrawal of the petrol subsidy increased the hardship of jobless Nigerian youths, stressing that lifting the embargo on employment and going ahead to employ young qualified Nigerians should be a part of the rescue measures.

He urged the Federal Civil Service Commission and other relevant bodies to act upon the directive by the president immediately. In his ruling, deputy speaker Benjamin Kalu mandated the committees on public service matters, labour and employment (when constituted)to ensure compliance and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

The federal government placed an embargo on employment in the Federal Public Service in March 2020, exempting the health and security sectors and certain critical vacancy positions that must be filled.

Also, ex-labour minister Chris Ngige said the government embargoed employment because the ”economy was not in good shape.”

(NAN)