The Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Monday urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on youths' unemployment to address youth restiveness and enhance peaceful co-existence in Nigeria.

He spoke in Ilorin at a one day technical youth summit for unemployed youths in Kwara State titled 'Youths unemployment in Kwara State, the way forward'.
He called for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders to address the nation's high unemployment level.

Saraki, the former governor of the state, said, "There is every need to extend the declaration of state of emergency to youths' unemployment. We have done it in the power and water sectors among others and it has worked out well.

"According to the   National Population Commission, youths account for 65 per cent of the Nigerian population and 23.9 per cent of the unemployment rate in Nigeria.

"In comparison to other countries like Brazil which has a working population of over 130 million and unemployment rate of around 14 per cent and South Africa with a population of over 52 million has unemployment of almost 40 percent.

"In Kwara state, the current unemployment rate is nine percent, the second lowest in the country. There cannot be any stability, peaceful environment and prosperity of any sort with this level of youth
unemployment."