Nigeria`s Unemployment Crisis

Nigeria's unemployment crisis By Reuben Abati

Labour Minister, Adetokunbo Kayode quoting the World Bank says Nigeria has a population of 40 million unemployed persons. How did the World Bank arrive at this figure? What methods did its researchers adopt? It is shameful that Nigeria's Labour Minister cites the figure with so much glee and without a tinge of embarrassment.

That Nigeria has to rely on the World Bank to assess the number of the unemployed among its people is a reflection of the country's underdevelopment. There is a Federal Office of Statistics. But it is under-funded and routinely ignored by policy makers.

Nigeria suffers veritably from the ill of planning without statistics. We don't even know how many we are exactly and there is no central database in any of the country's sectors providing basic statistics.

Read the full article.

[K_Station]

Thank you for another beautiful and purposeful article.
The unemployment and under-employment issues are some of the biggest social crises facing Nigeria today (has been since at least the last decade!) & you definitely hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, a bad tree cannot produce a good fruit; nothing good can really come of this generation of clueless politicians, they just don’t get it! I look forward and pray to the day we as Nigerians are motivated enough to usher in a new generation of political leadership who understands public service and social responsibility.

[ILN TOO]

Job Creation SAS Style. SAS is the executive governor of Borno State.

[LAN]

RA
As you rightly said, the catalyst for development lies on adequate and regular POWER supply. If we fix POWER, every other things "shall be added onto us".

Another good piece, thanks.

[muhammad]

What need to be done is enormous and has to realistic- it requires all the three tiers of government, Fed, State and LGs to be act fast- though this is achievable when good leadership is put in place. Reuben’s piece is ‘A’ rated.

[witswords]

A penetrating piece, which makes one wonder over when we shall really be there. Committee, committee and committee upon committee. The only thing that a committe is not set up for is looting...but every other thing gets a committee investigation...I don tire jare! I beg give me second base...!

[El-Kanemite]

Good piece. However, it does not have a lot of details, regarding how exactly to solve the so called power problem. I tend believe that lack of power is nothing but a symptom of the problem. But, that's for another day.

In terms of details of how the issue of power can be resolved, it is obvious that the Federal Government cannot do it alone. Rather all tiers of government should be involved in the process, with the full involvement of the private sector, especially our financial institutions. Government should use budgetary allocation for power projects as leverage for raising private sector money to build and operate power plants, through any of the existing, or even new PPP models. Afterall, any successful PPP project will have to be aligned with existing realities on ground.

The real reason why this approach has not been successful is purely because of the unpatriotic activities of Nigerian banks. A situation where a South African bank is taking the lead on the Lagos-Epe Expressway project, is not only sad, but a disgrace to Nigerian banks. Nigerian financial institutions need to wake up from their current stupor, and understand that the long term survival of their enterprise is predicated on how well they are able to develop real asset portfolios that will provide a veritable source of long term revenue stream, which will provide them enough leverage to continue to grow.

Government and the private sector must also have a platform for exchange of ideas. A very easy step. Instead of creating another bureaucracy, something as simple as arranging quarterly brainstorming sessions between National Assembly committee chairmen on Energy, Industry, Employment, etc, and CEOs and COOs from the private sector, will provide a forum for these ideas to be discussed, and action plans drawn up to include every facet of the society in solving the problem.

[aguabata]

everyday we wake up and whinge over the same thing. is it not this minister that said he had put things in place to provide jobs for nigerians in diaspora who will be comeing back due to the economic meltdown. Dishonesty and deciept filled politicians + plot grabbing journalists are the perfect recipee for perpetual slavery. I no talk anything ooo

[giafaleye]

Wow! Abati once again you have made my day and the day of any true villager. What else can one say that had not been said. I just hope those in position of authority are listening. I would rather add that Chairmen of Local Government Areas should be compelled to put in place a working power plant that would supply electricity 24/7 ditto the state government alternatively the central government could deduct a specific amount from both the state and LGA and make sure that the money so collected is use for such purpose while a time limit of 18 months is set to bring the dream to reality. It is only then we can talk about solving unemployment problem in this country.

[Prince Charles]

Guy return the land make our people use am farm, e go cut down on unemployment.

[Sesan Ibitoye]

Solving Nigeria's unemployment problems should be tackled as follows:

1. Let all political office holders do their periodic medical checks in Nigeria using Nigerian hospitals and doctors. More doctors will become employed thereby.
2. Let their children be educated in Nigeria and in Nigerian schools. More teachers will get jobs.
3. Let the furniture in our govt. houses and the various assemblies be made by Nigerian carpenters. Surely more carpenters will leave the unemployment queue.
4. Legislate that all political office holders spend their vacations in Nigeria. Obudu ranch will need more staff as a result...and more states will be forced to revive their many tourist opportunities.
5. Which one again oooo...there are roads to be built, security to provide etc etc. These are veritable sources of employment. Just demand that government provide SERVICE just like Gov. Fashola is doing in Lagos. and there will be more jobs!

[Showcase]

Originally Posted by LAN

RA
As you rightly said, the catalyst for development lies on adequate and regular POWER supply. If we fix POWER, every other things "shall be added onto us".

Another good piece, thanks.

You wonder why they don't see or understand this? Tackling the energy issue will be solving so many problems at the same time. We have said it severally, even here on NVS. An article was even written to highlight this, but indeed why should they be bothered about solving the problem when they don't live in darkness and have more money stashed away than they would ever need?

[VOR]

Originally Posted by Prince Charles

Guy return the land make our people use am farm, e go cut down on unemployment.

Nice one PC!!

Also, if all land owners (bought or dashed) in Nigeria start building factories or starting up businesses instead of building mansions, 5 flats and duplexes for rent maybe the unemployment problem will be solved

Wow! Abati once again you have made my day and the day of any true villager.

Look at this level 2 JJC giafaleye writing about true villager? Nothing wey my eye no go read for this village. Where is the Don with that his anti sycophancy repellant? This village surely needs it!!!

[Kenn]

Originally Posted by VOR

Look at this level 2 JJC giafaleye writing about true villager? Nothing wey my eye no go read for this village. Where is the Don with that his anti sycophancy repellant? This village surely needs it!!!

Here’s the Shelltox, ma! Abeg fumigate the area quick-quick!

[emj]

Eherm it is no longer news that a country cannot plan without the right Statistics, neither is it news/new that there's nothing in place to alleviate the suffering of the Masses.

But what is being proposed is a hideous joke - a National Employment Council (NEC). Brief: to develop strategies for tackling unemployment in Nigeria. Membership: drawn from the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Trade Union Congress (TUC), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Employment and Wages Commission, National Productivity Centre (NPC), National Directorate for Employment (NDE) and National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) with the Minister of Labour as chairperson. Everything is wrong with this idea.

Gad dem....you must be kidding me....you mean/meant they are thinking of another Talk-Shop(wia they will gwaff tea and biscuits) when we have a very critical situation that no ICU can contain on our hands

Hmm...is it too much for the Govt to pay a sort of Stipend to the un-employed? Or even adopt something close to what the Borno Governor is doing?

To make a difference, Nigerian governments must take practical steps. What is required is not rhetoric, not bureaucracy. One simple solution is for the government to resolve the country's energy crisis. A government that cannot provide regular electricity, something that is taken for granted in Mali, Ghana, Niger, Gambia, in Cote d'Ivoire and elsewhere, lacks the moral right to complain about unemployment. Virtually every factory in Nigeria runs with the help of power generators. The key excuse given for the winding down of the textile factories, Michelin, Dunlop and other companies is the high and unprofitable cost of energy. Factored into the cost of production, doing business in Nigeria is unprofitable.

The koko of the matter...and i concur with others is the Power Problem..which is not a problem when the Govt decides to Sincerely do something about it....(remove all the Locusts)

[nbanky]

Great Piece..thank RA. Its high time we stop paying lip-service to some of the challenges our dear country is plagued with. We have an expecially failed leadership but we would only have a failed state if we all don't rise up to act in some ways, proffer ideas and create solutions amidst all the odds..we must fight to rescue this ship. I've personally written several proposals to the government that have not been followed through and i realised we (concerned and patriotic Nigerians) have to take the initiatives. For unemployment, I created a Graduate Internship Programme that has already gotten 72 unemployed graduates 3months internship positions in Nigerian companies. To learn more about the project please visit www.internacademyng.com. Lets Do More!!!

[emj]

Originally Posted by nbanky

Great Piece..thank RA. Its high time we stop paying lip-service to some of the challenges our dear country is plagued with. We have an expecially failed leadership but we would only have a failed state if we all don't rise up to act in some ways, proffer ideas and create solutions amidst all the odds..we must fight to rescue this ship. I've personally written several proposals to the government that have not been followed through and i realised we (concerned and patriotic Nigerians) have to take the initiatives. For unemployment, I created a Graduate Internship Programme that has already gotten 72 unemployed graduates 3months internship positions in Nigerian companies. To learn more about the project please visit www.internacademyng.com. Lets Do More!!!

Eherm welcome to the square Bankole...i visited the link to the website you provided...i like the concept and what your organization is doing...can you please post more details in the Career Section of NVS...see link... http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/...jobs-exchange/


PS>>>>..I believe Fola Adeola et al had tried to do something like dis through The Fate Foundation...i hope that are still doing great helping the unemployed etc.

[chiagozie]

I have been functionary unemployed since I left the university in 2004. Trudging the streets of first Portharcourt, then Enugu, Abuja, Kaduna, Akure and then finally Lagos where I live now, I tried to get a job but met one frustration after another. Not being numerical enough, I couldn't scale the bank tests (we are usually thousands taking an exam that will basically employ a couple of people) and hoping to get a job in the media where I know my strength lies is a bigger problem. I have had to send article and stories I wrote to several media oufits in addition to filling every vacancy for a writer, journalist and public relation person for the last four years. All to no avail. Yes I have lived with sucide for years now that it has become a thought that my mind processes everyday. Recently, I went through poems I have written within this period and i discovered that death and dieng is a regular theme.
Now, I know I am not alone in this regard and can easily pinpoint several old school mates who are struggling in the same vain. I am spared a greater pressure because I have my uncompleted Novel and short story to put vent on my anger. but, still I hunger and cry at my inability to help my mother who struggled with my to see me out of school, at my in ability to make an honest woman of the lady that has stuck with me for four years, hoping I'll make it soon, at the health system that cut my chances short by allowing polio to aflict me and above all the government who play politics with this delicate issue all because the politicians do not want my generation to compete with their childrens.
I know the telecomminication firms, the oil industry and maybe the banks pay well and employ lot of nigerian youths, but, what is the significance of a few thousands when a million others are striving from hand to mouth.
We preach self employment. I tried my hands at so many things I even worked as a labourer for years, laying paving stones and mixing concrete, and drove a bike around mafoloku lagos too while my brain lost some its texture and I drop a whole lot of confidence.
Now, at the prompting of a friend who never stopped looking for a job, I am back in the labour market and since december last year all I have heard is the same old story that almost drove me mad before.
"No vacancy!" a mean looking receptionist told me a few weeks ago.
"can I see your boss?" I asked, pleading with both my demeanor and my outstretched hands.
"Do you have an appointment?" she inquired, looking me up and down. apparently I was a very dirty job seeker fouling up her air.
"No ma," I replied, playing the "I respect you" card to a girl several years my junior. "I just want to see him about a job."
"Is something wrong with you?" she asked, looking at me like there is, "I just told you no vacancy and you want to see my boss. sshhhhhhh!"
with that, she turned back to the society magazine she was reading and appeared to forget about me. I stood there for several minutes before the supicious eyes of the security man by the door forced me to exit the building, much lighter in weigh and confidence than when I arrived.
This is a much more pleasant expirience than others before and after. Someone says go for a second degree or a masters, that, for someone who struggled bitterly to get the first degree and is yet to clean up the debts accrued, is asking for my head, because without a job, I just can't finance it.
Now I look out the window, at the sunrays that brings hope every morning, and allows a smile to stretch my face, just barely. Today I go to war again. Who knows I may just get a call from some people that have my CV. Who says hope, no matter how thin, is not worth the thought?
Yes I will again go out today, if all fails, I still have my stories and poems for company.Let my soul drift.

Fredrick Chiagozie Nwonwu