MAN expresses worry over high unemployment rate in Nigeria
Engr. Frank Onyebu
The Chairman, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, Apapa Branch, Engr. Frank Onyebu, said one of the most critical challenges facing Nigeria today is the unacceptably high rate of unemployment.
He said with the reported unemployment rate of over 33%, Nigeria has the second-highest unemployment rate in the world, saying this is totally unacceptable
Engr. Onyebu who described it as a ticking time bomb… a disaster waiting to happen added “It’s rather unfortunate that most Nigerians have not considered the implication of this sad reality. I think we should all be worried. Note that I’m not just referring to the government; I’m talking about every Nigerian. Yes, everybody Nigerian needs to be worried!
“Do you know the implication of having a third of your workforce jobless? We are talking about tens of millions of able-bodied men and women sitting around, doing nothing! You know what they say about idle minds being the devil’s workshop. We are truly sitting on a keg of gunpowder!
“Of course we’ve always known that the unemployment situation in Nigeria is bad. All you need to do is move around the streets. Whether in the day or at night, you would see people roaming aimlessly about. You would find hawkers all over the place. And if you look closely, you will realize that the total value of what these individuals are hawking is not nearly enough to sustain a human being.
“What this implies is that majority of these hawkers are just passing the time. Many transform into petty thieves and robbers at night. You can see why I stated earlier that we should all be concerned. I’m restating it. No society can survive for very long with this level of unemployment. There’s bound to be an implosion. These jobless people are bound to fight back because their government has failed them.
Engr. Onyebu, in a statement yesterday said the unfortunate thing is that, when the crisis starts, there’s not going to be a distinction between people in government and ordinary hardworking individuals, adding that everybody becomes a target.
While advocating for economic revolution and a total economic transformation, he called on the government to create an enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive, saying “A number of deliberate policy measures need to be put in place.”
“First of all, drastic measures have to be taken to tackle our worsening security challenges. There is a symbiotic relationship between unemployment and insecurity just like there’s a relationship between security and the economy. Entrepreneurship cannot thrive under our current security situation. I do not want to dwell so much on what needs to be done because I’m sure the government has what it takes to reverse this ugly situation.
“Then we need to do something about our ease of doing business. A lot has been said about the government’s efforts to improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria, but I’m afraid the effects of these efforts are not being felt by businesses. What the government needs is to put in place deliberate policies and follow up with adequate machinery to ensure full implementation.
“We also need to get serious about improving the content and quality of education. I can tell you that no economy can thrive without massive investment in education. The government needs to stop paying lip service to education. There’s need to overhaul our education curriculum. We need to embrace technical education. We need to embrace technology. We need to embrace quality education,” he explained.
On a final note, he said “special attention needs to be given to mechanized agriculture, manufacturing and, of course, information technology. These are the drivers of most thriving economies. Look at China. How did they move from being an impoverished country to being the second biggest economy in the world within a space of thirty years? I believe that Nigeria can surpass China if we are determined to. It only takes the will to admit that we have been towing the wrong path and make that collective decision to change our path.”
He said while we need the government to provide the leadership, we must also be prepared to do our part as citizens by holding our government accountable without any consideration of tribe.
This, he said, “means we must ensure that we elect leaders who are willing to serve… leaders who are willing to be held accountable. We must all say no to corruption in all its ramifications.”
