The Federal Government, weekend, was advised to quickly tackle the rising rate of unemployment in the country as its rate was estimated to be around 40 per cent of the entire population.
The immediate past World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who gave the advice also said: “I am one of those Nigerians who are praying for Nigeria oil to dry up so that our government can quickly take immediate actions towards diversifying the nation’s source of revenue.
Alternative to oil should emerge immediately to cure the oil politics in our nation.”
She further advised that a census on unemployment should be carried out, saying: “The problem of unemployment requires a more aggressive method or identity towards addressing it, than what is currently being done. I acknowledge that the government from the blue print is demonstrating an effort to addressing it. The effort should be enhanced considering the havoc unemployment is creating in this country.
Census on unemployment
“Government at whatever level should be responsible for addressing this and create jobs. Half of our population is youth within the ages of 18 and 32, but about 40 per cent of our population is unemployed. There is an average of two million new unemployed youth every year joining the existing stock year by year. I suggest that a census of unemployed youth be done in Nigeria immediately.”While speaking on the topic entitled: “Nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset” Ezekwesili said: “Government has a responsibility to the people by providing necessary and adequate infrastructure needed to boost the economy. Taxation and other levies should not be a hindrance to business if government is able to provide every amenity needed by entrepreneurs as it is in the United States that is regarded as father of capitalism.
“Public sector has responsibility for describing the direction and vision it wants the economy to go. Public sector requires quality leadership to build good nation. For a new Nigeria to emerge, we need a public sector that has entrepreneurial mindset that should be able to spur the private sector towards achieving economic growth. Our governments have underperformed over several decades as the country has been driven with people with deficit of integrity, lack of confidence, lack of competence and above all lack of structural innovation ability.”
Ezekwesili also advocated that skilled and well diagnostic programme of entrepreneur be developed and decentralized throughout the community within Nigeria as part of the ways towards reducing the alarming rate of unemployment.
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Madam, your first guesstimate of forty percent initially drew my ire, cos I was going to question how a scholar of your stature would make such conjecture without verifiable evidence. Thank God you stylishly retracted it. More than forty percent Nigerians are unemployed today. How many Nigerians (from 18 yrs) per household on every street is gainfully employed? Do you call selling sachet powder milk and cheese balls in cubicles across gutters in front of homes employment? Or kole, kole (trash collectors) When we mean employment, we talk about earning a living wage that can pay bills and take care of basic needs. What is the percentage of Nigerians that fall within that bracket of employment? What is the purchasing parity power of those employed? How much in dollar terms do Nigerians earn? Madam, I know you had once been a Federal Government Minister, spare no one in your assessment.
ReplyDeleteYour accolades for FG's "blueprint" is to say the least disappointing and suspect. To my mind, you are heaping praises on "blueprints" because Oknojo Iweala, your buddy is the architect of that "blueprint." But smart as you are, you have stopped short of praising the implementation because all her efforts is on paper, not in practice.
Finally, I side with you regarding the oil doom. No Nigerian prays as much as I do for this oil to dry up. We do not deserve it.
NONSENSE, INSTEAD OF PRAYING FOR A BETTER GOVT THAT WILL LEAD US ARIGHT AND USE D OIL WISELY. DIRECT YOUR PRAYER ANOINTING PROPERLY COS ITS GOD THAT KEPT THE OIL HERE AND ONLY HIM CAN ALLOW IT/DETERMINE WHEN IT WILL FINISH.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you partially contributed to this mess by closing down Nigerian Mining corporation in 2005,citing that it doesn't contribute more 1% to the economy.You rendered more than 800 viable staff jobless. This was a parastatal under the solid minerals sector which could diversify the economy.
ReplyDelete