Youths, Fight! - Oyewole Michael

Every year thousands of graduates are turn out for whom there are no jobs. Nigerian streets are littered with youth hawker and roamabout who ordinarily would have found gainful employment in some enterprises; or would have demonstrated their skills and resourcefulness if there are enabling environments and reliable management structures on ground. Nigerian Unemployment can be graded into two categories: first, the older unemployed who lost their jobs through retrenchment, redundancy, or bankruptcy; and second, the younger unemployed, most of whom have never been employed! But for the purpose of this paper, the latter shall solely be our swivel of deliberation. Awake (1983) stated that meaningful employment could bring happiness, makes one wanted and needed. It further argued that people acquire certain skills so that they could be employed and be able to provide for their needs and that of the family, but unemployment seems to step in and dash this hope. For the purpose of this paper, I shall majorly dwell more on Youth unemployment in our Nation.

DEFINITION OF CRUCIAL TERMS

UNEMPLOYMENT – Refers to a socio-economic situation in which persons who have no work are able and willing to work and also actively seeking for work have no work.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines the unemployed as numbers of the economically active population who are without work but available for and seeking work, including people who have lost their jobs and those who have voluntarily left work (World Bank, 1998:63).

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: Could be described as the conglomerate of youths with diverse background, willing and able to work, but cannot find any; or cannot find the type of job that they are trained to do, and which they will be proud to do as their area of expertise.

CRIME – Refers to any wrong which affects the interest of the society as a whole and for which the offender is liable to punishment.

POVERTY – This is the deprivation of the basic necessities of life. A state where individuals lack food, shelter ad clothing is termed poverty.

Unemployment now creates a serious problem in the society. It affects the economic and socio-political life of the society. In other countries in North African like Tunisia, Egypt and Libya where dictators have held sway for over three decades, people have revolted against the system. Though these countries can be said to be less democratic than Nigeria, yet the living condition of the people in real economic terms is better (Abati Reuben). Unemployment Rate in Nigeria as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics 31.1% in 2000; 13.6% in 2001; 12.6% in 2002; 14.8% in 2003; 13.4% in 2004; 11.9% in 2005; 13.7% in 2006; 14.6% in 2007; 14.9% in 2008 and 19.7% in 2009. Nigeria Unemployment Rate averaged 14.60 Percent from 2006 until 2011, reaching an all time high of 23.90 Percent in December of 2011 and a record low of 5.30 Percent in December of 2006. It was recently pegged:

On the 9th of May, The Statistician-General, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale, put the current rate of unemployment in Nigeria at 23.9 per cent. This is just only to hope if it is not another achieved progress on paper. In

Nigeria, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. It is a known truth that Poverty/youth unemployment rates remain high in Nigeria, particularly in the rural areas…. World Bank in its ‘Nigeria Economic Report’ May, 2013. Nigeria has been experiencing is growth without development in infrastructure, human capital and social needs. There is just no way a country experiencing high inflation, unemployment and poverty can be said to be developing even if its economic growth is in double digits. A rich Nation full of poor people, over 70percent of the Nigerian populace live below the poverty line as a direct implication of massive unemployment, over 40million are unemployed!

Just recently over 150 thousand Nigerians jostled for a job where only about less than 5000 opening are available. Sadly, some even lost their lives in the process! No gain saying that youths who are idly the strength of the Nation had/have found themselves using such energies exhibiting heinous crimes… Boko Haram insurgency, kidnapping, yahoo yahoo (Internet free fraud), political thuggery, armed robbery, motor park touts among many other. The Government has only the mission of building empires for their sons, wives and mistress, even the ones yet on born. All these at the detriment of job creation. Most female youths looking for jobs must have strong PR’s (have sexual relations with the boss) before getting employed, some won’t even get it after such submissions. We all know that most of the best brains produced on the green land has found their ways to ‘greener pasture’ where their potentials are fully exploited with good jobs and brighter future. Those who would have aided the growth of our dear Nation, Nigeria are doing so with other Nations. Hmmmm!

FIGHT!

The bitter truth is that our educational system has encouraged over reliance on the Government for Job seeking applicant. We must move away from that paradigm if we must attain successful heights. Youths must begin to fight, not physically! Intellectually to better their lives via job creations… Think! Think! Think! Though, might not be easy but with prayers, determination, doggedness, fighting spirit, it can be achievable. Fight for your future, be innovative, be employers of labour… No matter how little, start something! Who says in few years you can’t loan money to the Government? Last year I interviewed with NTA Ado-Ekiti and the interviewer asked that as leaders of tomorrow… I told him we YOUTHS ain’t leaders of tomorrow anymore, WE ARE THE LEADERS OF NOW! Let’s keep fighting until we make better things out of US.

Be good.