Nigeria’s unemployment rate is over 11 percent higher than the average rate of 9.5 percent for sub-Saharan Africa. Sadly, many of these unemployed have high level of education that can be used to advance the development of our economy. However, in the absence of the enabling environment for these youths to harness their potentials, most of our young people indulge in all forms of social vices, because of the uncertainty of their future.
By Kelly Ovie Umukoro
Over the years, the aphorism: “youths are the leaders of tomorrow” re-echoes in the minds of many Nigerian youths. Yet it is very saddening to know that these words are mere words deceitfully used by our political elites, to cajole the youth.
In a decent society youths are supposed to be the leaders of tomorrow. In other parts of the world, a proper attention is given to the youths.
Since 1965, the United Nations (UN) has long recognized that the imaginations, ideals and energy of the young people are vital for the continuing development of the society in which they live.
The need to strengthen young people was also one of the key issues at the tenth anniversary of the United Nations; commitments were made by the international community to respond to the challenges of the youths into the next millennium.
The United Nations has put in place a policy frame work that addresses the issue of the youth from 2000 and beyond which is the world programme of action for youth ( WPAY ).
This policy thrust, provides a frame work and a practical guidelines for national action and international support to improve the situation of young people.
It contains a proposal for action aiming to foster the condition and mechanisms to promote young people.
In particular the WPAY focuses on measures to strengthen national capacities in the field of youth and to increase the quality and quantity of opportunities available to young people for effective and constructive participation in the society.
Since 2006, when Nigeria signed with 18 other countries as lead countries for the implementation of the global youth Employment Initiative of the United Nations, no effort has been made to follow through with the recommendations of the initiative to facilitate job creation.
The late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua administration also came up with a feasible plan for the youth: the Nigerian Youth Employment Action Plan (NIYEAP) which was being implemented, before his unfortunate demise.
Even the current initiative put in place by the government of the day is still for selected few.
In spite of these commitments and policies put in place by the United Nations and successive Governments in Nigeria to address the problems of young people, the Nigerian youth still lives in a quagmire of hopelessness.
This is because less attention is given to the youth of this great nation. Every year vast majority of our young people graduate from different tertiary institutions in the country with the hope of securing a good job, but instead the reverse is the case, except for those that have one uncle godfather somewhere.
Many Nigerian youth no longer have faith in the country, because of the way politicians have handled the issue of the youth, particularly in the area of mass unemployment.
This is one of the root causes of youth restiveness in our society like the saying goes “an idle mind is the devils workshop.”
When the heart is not occupied with things that are creative, it becomes an instrument for destruction.
When a man is hungry he can do anything to keep body and soul together, he would resort to thuggery, thieving, prostitution, and the likes.
This has been the last resort of some Nigeria youth. Statistics have shown that over 60 million of Nigerian youths are jobless or have nothing that barely sustains them.
Because of this, the level of social vices like militancy, political thuggery, prostitutions, and others is embarrassingly high.
Nigeria’s unemployment rate is over 11 percent higher than the average rate of 9.5 percent for sub-Saharan Africa. Sadly, many of these unemployed have high level of education that can be used to advance the development of our economy.
However, in the absence of the enabling environment for these youths to harness their potentials, most of our young people indulge in all forms of social vices, because of the uncertainty of their future.
To bring back the confidence of the Nigerian youth, there should be collectiveness and commitment on the part of all stakeholders.
The society needs to invest more in areas that will benefit and develop young people which will automatically give strength to the nation’s economy. To undermine the large army of youth is certainly at the peril of the nation.
For Nigeria to attain its development targets, the issue of its young people must be taken on with keen interest.
Government must show commitments and political will to implement plans and programmes to address the problems militating against the young people in the country. To keep the hopes of young people alive, a lot is expected from our leaders.
Kelly Umukoro is Communication Officer with Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
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