Aregbeshola Bolaji Samson

Our political leaders do not have a national sense of urgency to a problem which the Sultan of Sokoto calls a time bomb waiting to explode. Though the issue of unemployment in not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It is a universal problem but the Nigerian government has not taken the necessary steps to arrest this situation rather, it has remained silent.

One would have expected that the privatization program under the immediate past president, Olusegun Obasanjo was aimed at providing employment for the jobless youths of this country but the program has failed in this regard.

Some people have said that the graduates that are churned out by Nigerian Universities and polytechnics have unemployable skills but could this be true? And if this assertion is correct, could the graduates be blamed for the lack of employable skills? Everyone knows that the standard of education in Nigeria has drastically fallen besides most educational institutions in the country have not tailored their programs to meet the demand of the workforce. This makes their products ill-prepared for the labour market. Most companies have to train fresh university and polytechnic graduates in order to acquire the skills necessary to perform their roles.

Another terrifying issue is how thousands of graduates roam the streets for so many years in search of jobs. The lucky ones who eventually get an offer after about five years of graduation would most likely have forgotten the little skill they were able to acquire while in school and unless they become trained, such graduates would not function effectively on their jobs.

Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a reaction to the different calls, appeal and demand by concernedNigerians for the scrapping of the NYSC program said that “in the face of high level graduate unemployment, the NYSC offered a stop-gap measure against joblessness.” This statement may be true to some extent but the fact still remains that these youth corpers join the league of unemployed youths after the mandatory one-year National service except for a few number of them who becomes retained by the organizations they were posted to work.

Apart from the unemployed graduates, other cadre such as the secondary school drop-outs and school leavers as well as the ‘agberos’ also make-up the unemployed youths in Nigeria. Vocational training centres which were meant to cater for this set of youths are not in existence. Also, skill acquisition programmes which could empower graduates and non-graduates alike are hardly developed by governments. These youth centres and programmes, if functional, would afford the teeming population of unemployed youths in Nigeria the opportunity of acquiring sellable skills thereby making them productive. This will in turn reduce violence and crime among others.

The absence of such youth empowerment programme across the federation has led to an increase in the number of miscreants/street urchins who indulge in crime, violence e.t.c. The procurement of commercial three-wheeler vehicles and the promotion of ‘okada’ riding by the past administration is not a solution to the issue of unemployment in Nigeria. They have become a nightmare rather than a solution. What government needs to do is create new jobs and provide welfare programmes for the young teenage mothers, unemployed and underemployed youths. Our resources are enough to be widening spread among the citizens of the country.

According to Senator Arthur Nzeribe, “huge incomes accruing to the nation are consumed at the top by politicians” but these monies can be used to provide welfare programmes for the unemployed youths of the country while government create new jobs. It can also leverage low income earners most of whom their jobs don’t pay enough to support their families. Government at all levels cannot afford to be passive about this issue, they must act as a matter of urgency to arrest the situation if a society free of incessant crime and violence is what we crave.

Yours sincerely,

Aregbeshola Bolaji Samson

Lagos state

Robot  # 1 | 17.12.2008 07:59

Aregbeshola Bolaji Samson Work has been described as a means for giving one’s life purpose, direction, order and dignity. It also helps to support one’s self but when a high percentage of the nation’s youth are unemployed due to government’s lack of ingenuity-what happens? The results of these are youth restiveness, crime, violence e.t.c. The rate of unemployment inNigeriais on the increase with the disappearance of jobs in the public service, the churning out of an estimated 120,000 graduates annually by Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics, lack of industrialization e.t.c. Many youths have taken to robbery, extortion of money from people and so on. Our political leaders do not have a national sense of urgency to a problem which the Sultan of Sokoto calls a time bomb waiting to explode. Though the issue of unemployment in not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It is a universal problem but the Nigerian government...Read the full article.

allaccess  # 2 | 17.12.2008 11:22

This is what gets me with Nigerian article writers, they know the "stories" to write BUT lack very FIRM understanding and "knowledge" of the TOPICS of discussion. So while they make interesting reading they fail to proffer solutions because they don't UNDERPIN the issues properly. The issue Of unemployment can be blamed on Government all day long, pls also blame government for why many Nigerians worship juju or believe in non-existent GODS and ALLAHS. What about citizen mentality and responsibility, should Government change those too? Nigerian economy has been on the decline since Shagari time in the 80s but did Nigerian families adjust their circumstance to suit these changes? so they did not adjust, did they also address the Government responsibility aspect of the issues? NO. There are very basic things that MANY Danish or French families may not do for example (with or Without good government) 1: They may not marry more than one woman at a time 2: They may not go around impregnating as many women as possible while leaving behind a trail of children who will not have meals and future possibilities of livelihood. 3: They may not live above their means with expensive owambe parties and spending life savings on the burial of dead people. 4: They may be very comfortable with their income and hardly engage in criminal activities that will create a culture of corruption. Look at like places Oshodi from the air or ground and you will see so many hungry looking humans who were produced by other irresponsible persons without so much as thinking during sex that they have to use contraceptive to ensure childbirth is produced according to income. Everything gets blamed on Government!!! When will Nigerians start accepting responsibility for their STUPIDITY AND IGNORANCE?

M. Akosa  # 3 | 17.12.2008 19:29

The problem is the perception and mindset of Nigerians. How they conduct their lives, realistic expectations and sense of responsibilty to their country. Governments are not always the answer to all social malady. Social action by the grassroot and civil society is the most potent challenge to restructure any society and re- shape future directions. I know several friends and family members who believe that tarred roads, electricity and functioning hospitals and schools are miracles or hand work from the above. We all know by now that every society is the exact mirror image of their leadership. Majority of Nigerians condone and connive with bad leadership. It is their majority choice. In order to restructure Nigeria, the people must become enough enlightened, civillized and responsible to own their citizenship to their country. The whole structure, including the leadership and the people are too far way behind, and not even genuinely attempting to wake up from the death slumber. This is why I don't go crazy for the Nigeria malady and dysfunction. The biggest problem I believe is dealing with the Nigerian population, and not the leadership. The population are too deep in destructive belief systems, practices and very irresponsible. Nigerians are open market for bad, exploitative and dysfunctional governance.

aguabata  # 4 | 18.12.2008 08:57

Akosa and allaccess I dont understand you both. The issue here has almost everything to do with government. Government performance should be up to 35% before you blame the people. You are wise and understand how a society should be because you came from a good home that gave you support, access to education and enlightenment and to some extent your good genes helped (biosocial), the unenlightened and uncivilized people are helped through social engineering, they may not be any better or worse than you and me genetically but their social environment is different. It is the role of the government to start enlightenment campaigns, unfortunately we dont have a very civilized/enlightened one either. The government takes the initiative and enforces it, China enforced one child policy or do you think the citizens would have listened if it werent firmly enforced. I've seen local councils paying workers to distribute condoms in the streets on friday nights around pubs and clubs in 'so called' civilized countries. What has happened to our family planning programme? For now, the only criticism I have for the Nigerian people (me included) is our inability to fight tyranny by a handful of polticians. BTW what mark will you give the performance of the Nigerian government since 1980?

allaccess  # 5 | 18.12.2008 11:29

=aguabata;301511>Akosa and allaccess I dont understand you both. The issue here has almost everything to do with government. Government performance should be up to 35% before you blame the people. You are wise and understand how a society should be because you came from a good home that gave you support, access to education and enlightenment and to some extent your good genes helped (biosocial), the unenlightened and uncivilized people are helped through social engineering, they may not be any better or worse than you and me genetically but their social environment is different. It is the role of the government to start enlightenment campaigns, unfortunately we dont have a very civilized/enlightened one either. The government takes the initiative and enforces it, China enforced one child policy or do you think the citizens would have listened if it werent firmly enforced. I've seen local councils paying workers to distribute condoms in the streets on friday nights around pubs and clubs in 'so called' civilized countries. What has happened to our family planning programme? For now, the only criticism I have for the Nigerian people (me included) is our inability to fight tyranny by a handful of polticians. BTW what mark will you give the performance of the Nigerian government since 1980? aguabata, You don’t understand us because it is the very mentality we are fighting that is the problem with educated, and illiterate Nigerians, they just don’t have a clue and when they do it is for the wrong reasons – hence the reason white people call blacks monkey or sub developed human mentality. Did you not read the comment made about Government is a product of the people? The fact that 99.9% of Africa is led by corrupt or ineffective leaderships should tell you the continent might not be able to produce from its STOCK decent government. SO WHY ARE YOU BLAMING THE LEADERS THAT CAME FROM THE PEOPLE? Hear this “Government performance should be up to 35% before you blame the people” medulla oblongata kicks in here, gear one...take Yar-Adua for example, he is not an elected leader but the Nigerian people refuse to ensure he is removed, they refuse to forcefully remove the man so they are stuck in a time warp...should Yar Adua be blamed for being accepted to occupy office by Nigerians or should you blame Nigerians for allowing a criminal occupy office when he did not win any elections? If he is suffering from morality decay and is ineffective as a result who do you blame, the same unelected criminal leader sourced from the worst pool of Nigerian citizens? “good home that gave you support” OR NOT The citizens of any country can go out and demand (forcefully in necessary) the right to choose a decent person from their stock. While they are doing that (unless they are truly monkeys) they should accept responsibility for their actions. Are you telling me that the children you see in Ethiopia and Somalia with flies on their faces were impregnated and produced by government of these countries? Surely a person (non monkey) should know if there is nothing to eat and no way a child should be produced into such a situation, and as such refrain from inseminating their wives. If the citizens want “enlightenment campaigns”, they may not get it from governments whose sole purpose is to accumulate wealth and steal from the people they are sworn to serve. But we cannot blame these persons if they were allowed to contest Government positions and allowed to rig and win them. It is for the people to decide who they want to lead them and take all steps (violence and like) to ensure they get that which will make a difference to their lives. So I blame the people and not government.

chrisog300@yahoo.com  # 6 | 18.12.2008 13:21

There is no employment in Nigeria,what we have is job opportunity and no employment opportunity!

Olanrewaju Olaosebikan  # 7 | 19.12.2008 04:06

allaccess ...should Yar Adua be blamed for being accepted to occupy office by Nigerians or should you blame Nigerians for allowing a criminal occupy office when he did not win any elections? I agree with u dt citizens should always hold their leaders accountable for their acions or inactions. For good governance to strive there must be active participation of the citizens in the affairs of government. Our inability to hold government accountable for its actions contributed in no small measure to the mess that we found ourselves today. As Appadorai rightly noted- “eternal vigilance is the only sure safe guard of freedom. The knowledge that the citizens are alert and will not meekly submit to unreasonable interference with their rights, and that they will be prepared to fight for them, will help to prevent such interference.” The government takes the initiative and enforces it… aguabata is also right, govt should provide conditions of social life dt will make citizens function effectively. It is duty of every responsible govt to provide jobs for the citizens because they have means beyond the capacity of the individual.

M. Akosa  # 8 | 19.12.2008 15:04

My dear Aguabata, I also very well understand your disappointment and hopeless failure by the Nigerian government to protect its citizens and her future generations which is the youth. I am in no way saying that the Nigerian government and leadership is no longer seriously dysfunctional. I agree 100% with Allaccess that Ethiopians and Somalians who inseminate their wives in the face of severe hardship and starving poverty must be really mad!!! Sex as procreation or recreation is not cheap, a game or pleasure for the poor!!! I have travelled to several Western European countries, where health workers are sent out to street corners in club districts to distribute free condoms. I very much admire what the Western Europeans have done with their civilizations, clearly making a distinction between the state and religion, thereby fully ensuring protection for their citizens. The big question is; How many Nigerians will listen to a life saving advise from a qualified health worker, rather than from a charlatan pastor/thieving church preacher who is stealing them dry, just in return for preaching the good news from above??? I also wonder many times if it is not really truth as Europeans strongly believe that Africans are monkeys. The extent of learned helplessness in many Africans makes you wonder if their brains really have a full human capacity functioning. Let them wait for God to throw manna from heaven or to fly in with angel drawn chariots to change oppressive man made structures and destructive practices.

chaos.com  # 9 | 19.12.2008 15:17

=allaccess;301237>. When will Nigerians start accepting responsibility for their STUPIDITY AND IGNORANCE? how can they? when it is so much easier to blame the white man

Olanrewaju Olaosebikan  # 10 | 02.01.2009 05:27

=chaos.com;302297>how can they? when it is so much easier to blame the white man what does the whiteman got to do with this issue chaos ? Happy New Year:shake: