Unemployment in Nigeria, a time bomb
By Bisi Olominu
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Nigeria is a country with great potentials that have remained untapped. Name all the available natural resources in the whole world, they are in this country. Some have said the country’s major problem is leadership, but the major one is policy inconsistency that has drawn the hand of progress of the country down.
Unemployment has become the major issue in the country. During the last recession experienced in the country, many lost their jobs. Many graduates after five or seven years of graduation still roam the streets waiting for paid employments that are not there. The north is being ravaged by insurgency, the genesis is unemployment in the land whereby the youth could no more fathom the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Akwa Ibom is reported to have the highest unemployment rate of 37.7 per cent in third quarter of 2018.
NBS said this in its “Labour Force Statistics – Volume 2: Unemployment and Underemployment by State”, for Third Quarter, 2018, posted on its website.
The bureau said that Rivers has the second highest reported unemployment rate with 36.4 per cent followed by Bayelsa with 32.6 per cent.
Also, Abia recorded 31.6 per cent and Borno reported 31.4 per cent unemployment rate in the quarter under review.
The report said the top five states with the highest unemployed population were Rivers (1,673,991), Akwa Ibom (1,357,754), Kano (1,257,130), Lagos (1,088,352) and Kaduna with (940,480).
It said among these five states with the highest unemployed population, Lagos state reported the lowest rate of 14.6 per cent during the quarter.
Meanwhile, the bureau said Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna and Yobe States recorded the highest underemployment rates of 39.5, 38.1, 31.0 and 30.0 per cent.
It said the national unemployment rate for the quarter was 23.1 per cent while the underemployment rate was 20.1 per cent.
The report said between third quarter, 2017 and third quarter of 2018, only nine states recorded a reduction in their unemployment rates despite an increase in the national unemployment rate.
The states included: Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ondo and Rivers; the same states recorded reduction in their combined unemployment and underemployment rates.
The report said six states recorded the highest gains in net full time employment between third quarters, 2017 and second quarter, 2018.
The states were Lagos adding 740,146 net full time jobs, Rivers (235,438), Imo (197,147), Ondo (142,514), Enugu (122,333), Kaduna with 118,929 jobs.
In all state, the statistics on unemployment are scaring, alarming. No wonder, crimes are on the increase in Nigeria, young boys and girls are into yahoo yahoo and prostitution. Go to any hotel, recreation centres, joints in the country, prostitution is the order of the day.
How do we get into this mess? An elder statesman and General Secretary of pan Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, Basorun Seinde Arogbofa said that a country that fails to plan will not but be confronted with crisis.
“Governments don’t have proper planning for the youth of this country. Those who are graduates are roaming the streets looking for jobs that are not there. People could not sleep with two eyes closed. It is high time government at all levels put on their thinking caps on before things get out of hand”.
A mother, Mrs Florence Ojo while speaking with The Hope in a telephone interview from Osogbo warned that Nigeria is playing with fire and it will soon be engulfed with more crises.
“That your sons and daughters will pass out of tertiary institutions and there is no job waiting for them shows the insensitivity of those in government to stem the ongoing violence in the country. How do you feel to see someone you have expended your life saving on roaming the streets or doing nothing?
“Those in power know how to create opportunities for their children despite many of them coming out with poor degree. See the crimes going on in the country, they are the result of unemployment. If the youth are gainfully employed, crimes will be reduced drastically. It is high time government at all levels explored agriculture.
This is still the largest sector that can employ more youths in the country. Government should stop playing lip service to this sector.
“The emergence of oil in Nigeria contributed a lot to the demise of agriculture in the land. Those governing us prefer to go to Abuja every month to collect the allocation and share. They should know that nothing last forever.
Agriculture is the way and we should encourage our youths to embrace it”.
A university graduate and job seeker, Miss Yemi Ogunleye expressed satisfaction with her life, saying she is living her dream.
Ogunleye while speaking with The Hope said that before gaining admission to higher institution, she had learnt about cake baking, bead making and fashion designing, so when paid job was not forthcoming, she dabbled into all to better her life and that of her family.
Her words:” Youths in the country should look inward, there are talents buried in them, they should tap the potentials in them to better their lives. Looking for a job in Nigeria is like waiting for Godot and since the jobs are no more there, they should not wait before doing something that can better their lives,” she counseled.
