Apparently worried about the rising unemployment rate across northern states, Kaduna Youths Forum (KYF) has blasted the Controller-General of Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) for failing to provide employment for youths as a measure to tackle unemployment and insecurity challenge in the North .
According to the group, there were high expectations that the Customs Boss, should have used his highly exalted position to create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths, who today have taken to different forms of criminal acts .
In a press statement signed by the Coordinator, Ismail Mustapha Soba, the group singled out Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, who they alleged has done nothing to create job opportunities for them after working and supporting the APC to win the 2015 elections.
The group in the statement further explained: “We recall how we were massively mobilised to join the nationwide 2012 fuel subsidy protest in Kaduna that later led to the downfall of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
“When we were invited for the protest alongside Late Former Governor of defunct Kaduna, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Former Lawmaker , Senator Shehu and Col . Hameed Ali himself with several prominent Nigerians and we did so with hope that our unemployment problem and the disturbing security challenges facing the North would be history.”
However, it alleged that since Ali was appointed the Comptroller General of Customs by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, he has neither employed any known Kaduna youth nor met with them to discuss their problems.
“We challenge him to make public the state by state employment records to prove us wrong .We stand to be corrected, from our records and information gathered, he has never employed any serious person in Kaduna into Customs, but raher turned to Bauchi State.
” He should know that part of reasons Buhari appointed him as the Comptroller-General was to tackle chronic problems in service, including personnel shortage, it added .
The statement noted that personnel shortage would be solved with the recruitment of thousands of personnel for active duty. “It was expected that he visits Kaduna regularly to feel the pulse of the ordinary citizens, as we speak, he has not found time to meet the youths that Labour for Buhari’s election victory .
“Even when a list of youths was compiled to assist them into Customs, he didn’t even the see the person, who went to submit it, talkless of taken action .”
“If nothing is done to make amends ,we would be left with no option to mobilise for his sack “.the statement concludes.
