The Nation Newspaper

Tag: unemployment

  • ‘Revive MSMEs, address unemployment, others’

    The National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) has urged the President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to revive small scale businesses.

    Its Executive Secretary, Mr Eke Ubiji, said  in Lagos, that sustained  policies on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) would enhance the economic development.

    He said Buhari’s experience in governance was an added advantage to have a better understanding of the needs of the real sector and its strategic place in sustaining national development.

    According to him, for Nigeria to attain its goal of becoming one of the top economies, special attention should be given to MSMEs, a critical sector that would drive the economy effectively.

    He said:“The president-elect should give cognisance to MSMEs by addressing the various challenges facing it because that sector will help generate employment for its teeming unemployed youths.

    “The challenges of infrastructure, transportation and power are critical to the survival and growth of viable MSMEs. The issue of multiple taxes should also be addressed. If you listen to entrepreneurs in different parts of the country, they are saying the same thing. Federal Government is charging tax, states and local governments are also charging, all on a sector that is not moving forward.”

    Ubiji also urged Buhari to improve on President Goodluck Jonathan’s efforts in rail transportation and access to finance for MSMEs in the country.

    He said: “Most critically, the issue of access to finance is grinding MSMEs to a halt. President Goodluck Jonathan did something very spectacular on March 23, this year. He launched a new development finance institution for the country, called Development Bank of Nigeria.

    “It is a good initiative and I expect the President-elect to pay attention to it because it is a bank that is set up to address the issue of access to finance as it affects MSMEs in the country. You don’t throw away the baby with the bath water.”

    While pointing out that although Jonathan may have tried and failed in some areas and that there were some things he did that were good and commendable. He advised Buhari to constitute a strong and knowledgeable economic management team that would steer the economic affairs of the country to the desired change.

    He urged Buhari to appoint people who know their onions with regard to economic issues to advise him properly so that they would be able to come up with good economic blue print for the next four years.

  • ‘How to curtail unemployment’

    ‘How to curtail unemployment’

    How can we thin down the population of the unemployed? How do we get undergraduates to create jobs rather expect them?

    These were some some of the questions that inspired a young man  Otta Okoro Ukaha to write a book, which was launched in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State.

    The book entitled: Construction and Management of Petroleum Retail Outlet,

    tries to inspire young people to think of the opportunities that will generate jobs and save them the horrors of searching for nonexistent white-collar jobs.

    The book, he said, is an attempt to present an overview of the construction and management of petrol filling stations, adding that “it is beneficial to those in architecture and civil engineering.

    “Students of petroleum engineering, marketing, economics and business management are expected to share in the benefit the book provides; so are the people engaged in the business of construction and management of filling stations.

    “It is also a reference material for those who are proposing to run petrol filling stations to enable them to run a successful business. The book is the first of its kind in the history of Nigerian petroleum industry.

    “Its major objective is to solve the challenges experienced by the players in the downstream sector of Nigerian oil industry and beyond,” he said.

    On how young graduates would cope with huge capital outlay involved in establishing a petrol station, Ukaha said government should be involved in the area of granting loans to these graduates.

    The author further noted that poor readership culture in Nigeria retards development.

    “Readership is the habit of reading. When it comes to readership in Nigeria, our rating is very low. Because of our low rating, life tends to be very difficult for us. If you consider Nigeria’s population, you will discover that over 70 per cent of the population doesn’t read. That is why the country’s development is very low.

    “Readership in this country is very poor and that is why majority of us don’t know what is going on in the world. The government has the responsibility to improve Nigerians’ readership.

    “Readership is the centre of civilisation. Without it, it will be very difficult for our country to progress. Business growth will only be achieved if our business owners imbibe reading culture and read extensively. A country like United States is a giant today because of the people’s reading culture,” Ukaha said.

    Reviewing the book, Mr. John Ihechukwu Oke of the Department of Marketing, Enugu State University of Technology advocated inclusion of entrepreneurial studies in Nigerian schools’ curriculum, especially institutions of higher learning.

    He said such initiative would equip Nigerian graduates to be self-employed after graduation.

    “Though there have been recent yearnings for the inclusion of entrepreneurial studies in the curriculum of schools, which has led to some institutions of higher learning in the country complying to that effect, but we are looking forward to a holistic compliance to the yearnings,” he said.

    Continuing, Oke said: “We are looking forward to a situation where petrol filling stations will be established and managed by graduates to reduce the increasing rate in unemployment in the country.

    “It is on this basis that the book should be introduced to institutions of higher learning.

    “Taking into cognisance the current trend where Nigerian graduates, especially from the areas of petroleum and other engineering departments, business studies and marketing, among others, roam the streets unemployed, this book is handy to remedy the situation. The missing link in our academic curriculum is blamed on lack of professionalism, and this has taken a toll on our economy.”

    Oke said the book provides an in-depth analysis of locating the site of a petrol station, saying that a prospective owner of a petrol station should avoid locating it along dual or three roadways, outside the metropolis. “This is because vehicles’ speed is always high along the highways.

    He said petrol stations should be located after convergence of three roadways, where traffic makes room for only single road, even as he said petrol stations should be located within accessible locations.

    The book also prescribed that mobile telephones are not designed and certified for use in explosive atmosphere.

    “Rather than applying total prohibition on the use of mobile telephones on petrol forecourt which has resulted in some anomalies and frequent abuse to staff, the following controls are recommended: “the device is not to be used by customers and forecourt staff while dispensing petrol into fuel tanks or containers; they should not be used during petrol deliveries on those parts that have been designated as hazardous areas by the site operator or the driver; mobile phones should not be used during other petrol handling operations or during the maintenance of petrol equipment unless a specific assessment shows the risks are negligible.

    It was the author’s view that there is need to restrict the use of mobile telephones, with respect to the safe-keeping of petrol, at other times or in the other areas of the forecourt. This includes the shop, motor vehicles parked on the forecourt or in other non-hazardous areas.

  • ITF to train 2m youth on employable skills annually

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) said, it has refocused its training programme to equip 2 million ‎youth annually with employable and life skills required for self and paid employment.

    This was even as it said; it has already trained 74,000 young Nigerians ‎in different technical and vocational trade areas to provide skills to support the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

    The Director General of ITF, Dr. Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko disclosed this in her keynote address to the ITF’s Stakeholders Engagement Seminar held in Kaduna Thursday.

    ‎She said, most of the 74,000 trainees secured employment immediately after completion of their training, while a large number of them have established business of their own and doing very well.

    Speaking on the theme of the seminar, ‎’Zero Oil Policy and Economic Growth Strategies in Nigeria’, the ITF DG said, the determination of the federal government to develop sectors outside the oil and gas will catapult Nigeria from the current 26th to one of the leading economies by the year 2020.

    ‎According to her, ITF as a proactive organisation has acquired four mobile workshops to complement its existing industrial training centres, believing that, that will increase accessibility to skills training in all nooks and crannies of the country and enable youth acquire relevant skills to fit into existing on new jobs.

    Dr. Onaeko however solicited partnerships of all stakeholders to enable the fund achieve its lofty goals.

    Participants of the seminar were drawn from the seven states that make up the North-West geo-political zone.

  • Tackling unemployment through economic empowerment

    Tackling unemployment through economic empowerment

    For Jimoh Dolapo, 35, after roaming the streets for years looking for job that was not there, enrolling for the just concluded Expanded Economic Empowerment Programme (EEEP) of the Lagos State government has ended her nightmares. After attending classes for four weeks, the lessons she took in the catering class at the Alimosho centre, has empowered the Economics graduate with the needed skills to start a new vocation of her own and end her endless search for job. She is now a caterer and employer of labour. Not only that, the mere fact that she paid nothing for the course, for which she also got training kits, makes her life better and the course she learnt more rewarding. And for this, Dolapo is grateful to the Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)-led government in Lagos State for the initiative aimed at giving self-fulfilment to unemployed graduates and also fight poverty. As for her, the training has also ended the nightmare of many households as housewives and men to learn one trade or the other during the three phases of the programme which has gone a long way in reducing unemployment and poverty in the state in particular and the country in general.

    She is not alone to tell her story to reporters who swam the centres to feel the pulse of the participants and beneficiaries.

    ‘Now that I am self-employed, I can pay my tax and   fulfil my family obligations which have not been so for some time, says Rachael Aina, a B.Sc Accounting graduate of the University of Benin who participated in the second phase of the programme between October and November last year.

    The participation in the three phase empowerment programme is not just for the women, the lowly placed and the youths but also those in the royalty are not left out of the urge to acquire knowledge and better their lives.

    In this class is Chief Oladeinde Anifowose who, at over 60, enrolled in the soap making class. In his words: “my motivation is to have something to feed myself and my family.” A jewellery maker before he opted for the one-month training in the second phase between October and November last year, he feels elated that in spite of the huge amount of money government has expended on the programme, the beneficiaries still went home with tools of their different vocations.  The government, he said, came about the idea of skill training to fill the gap in the lack of electricity which is the bane of several artisans, adding “instead of sitting down, we became creative to find a solution and that involved training you in vocations that do not require electricity, that you can do with your hands in your homes to earn money to support yourselves and your family.”

    With the euphoria that greeted the first phase and the consequent increase in attendance and projections, the second phase also overshot its target as beneficiaries who enrolled for the programme increased to 17,220 made up of 2,091 males and 15,129 females.

    Babatunde Olowo, 58, a retired marketing manager in one of the blue chip companies, also found an attraction in the vocation programme and enrolled for training in disinfectant making during the second phase at the Alimosho centre. His reasons: “I had always wanted to become a producer of disinfectants, having marketed the product for years for my company before I retired. Hence, I regard this initiative as a rare opportunity given by the state government.”

    He did not stop at this as he canvassed for the state government to extend the programme to third phase so as to enable many people also benefit and by so doing reduce the poverty rate in the state through self employment.

    The project entered its second phase in October last year. One interesting feature of the beneficiaries in all the centres from Lekki to Ojo, Ikorodu, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos Island, Surulere, Ikeja, Badagry, EtiOsa, Epe and Ikeja was that several people who could not get registered because of the limited space available at the centres are content with coming for the training without being registered. They were determined not to let the opportunity slip by and hence content with attending lectures where they have to manage to have a seat and receive the much-sought knowledge they needed to start off on their own. Amongst this category is Jolayemi Opayemi Kamoru, who praised government’s efforts to offer means of livelihood to citizens. With his training in events decoration, “the job is no longer a magic to me.”

    Chief Olaide Anifowose who also put aside his royalty to enrol in soap making was also determined to uplift the status of his family adding, “I have to enrol in order to be able to feed myself and rely less on perks of the office which in most cases are not always forthcoming there.”

    However, with the commencement of the third phase of the training programme in February, the enthusiasm of the beneficiaries knows no bounds with the result that thousands of others who could not get enrolled in the first two phases turned up. In all, 11,176 enrolled for the third phase which kicked off in the first week of February and ended on February 27.

    Speaking at the occasion, deputy governor of Lagos state, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, whose ministry, The ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), supervised the training, said the programme was part of the efforts at alleviating poverty through the training of men and women as well as young graduates in entrepreneurial skills in order to make them self- employed rather than seeking for white collar jobs.

    While congratulating the trainees for taking the opportunity provided by the government, Princess Adefulire said the third phase was in response to the yearning of those that missed the two previous phases of the programme that started in September last year. According to her, about 36,243 residents of the state irrespective of state of origin, religion, ethnic group or party affiliation has benefited from the programme during the three phases.

  • Eliminating mass poverty, unemployment (II)

    Eliminating mass poverty, unemployment (II)

    Measurement of Poverty and Unemployment

    Statistical information in Nigeria about income, employment and unemployment is very inadequate. This deficiency cannot be remedied quickly, as the necessary work is both complex and costly. But this deficiency should not be considered a pre-condition for action designed to alleviate the most serious conditions of poverty. Often, available but unused statistical information may be used for policy purposes at comparatively little cost. The important thing is to identify the extremely poor sections of the society, and seek to alleviate their miserable conditions. In Nigeria, as well as in other developing countries, the economic gains of the 1970s have been virtually wiped out by massive foreign debts, declining national income, and growth rates. The problems of mass poverty are massive, growing and urgent. These problems require urgent attack despite our present economic difficulties. Radical courses are needed. We must formulate and implement policies that seek to move our poverty-reduction and employment goals from the periphery towards the centre of our development plans. We must become as concerned with income and output distribution as with income and output generation. We must adopt programmes with direct benefits for the very poor.

    Development Planning

      The urgency of finding solutions to our acute problems has been recognised at all levels of our country. But this should not create the illusion that much can be gained by us through rhetoric, or by appeals to nationalism or patriotism. Important as these are, they are not a substitute for plan discipline, or for the dangerous notion that industrialisation need no longer serve as a vehicle for useful technological transfer and, or, adaptation. Any such notion is a pure fallacy. Despite our present economic difficulties, our long-term objective must be to assist the industrial sector of the economy to recover from its present slump, so that the present level of unemployment may be reduced by the creation of jobs in the industrial sector. Our ongoing planning efforts should guide development activities and allocate resources to those sectors of the economy that have a multiplier effect on the economy, particularly for the purpose of generating employment. In addition, to our efforts to carry out economic reforms should include a close examination of the functioning of the existing market mechanisms which have tended to distort the economic structure in Nigeria.

    The Process of Industrialisation

     It is imperative that we continue to regard industrialisation as an essential part of our development strategy and a vital component of our development strategy to counter poverty and unemployment, as industrialisation will, in the long run, play a most important role in the economic growth and social transformation of our country. This is not to suggest that we should pay less attention to the agricultural sector of our economy. Far from it, for a vibrant agricultural sector is itself a pre-condition for a viable and strong industry. But industry is the most dynamic sector of the economy, where productivity usually increases at the highest rates. It can make a very important contribution to the development of other sectors of the economy, particularly agriculture, but also transport and services. Industrial production requires skill and organisation; therefore, its expansion promotes desirable work habits. We need, therefore, to keep our national investment rate in industry sufficiently high so as to promote employment.

    One important qualification is that we need to make our industries more labour-intensive, and more cost effective. Our industrial policy should be closely linked with policies that are not only aimed at output expansion, but employment generation. Hence, the importance of small-scale and rural-based industries. Many types of simple equipment and machinery can be manufactured in small and medium-sized enterprises, using local materials and labour-intensive techniques. In addition, we need to take a closer look at the structure of incentives and tariffs which tend, on the whole, to favour capital intensive and consumer-oriented industries. This is one of the key factors militating against the use of local raw materials.

    Agricultural and Rural Policies

     As we have pointed out, our stagnant agriculture is an inherent weakness of the Nigerian economy. Until recently, Nigeria was spending on food imports the staggering sum of N2billion, or 25 per cent of its GNP. Even with the recent reforms, a sizeable chunk of our foreign exchange is still being spent on the procurement of food imports. Yet, the population growth rate is such that by the end of the century, Nigeria’s population, now estimated at 100 million, will be close to 150 million, or more; thus imposing a further strain on an economy that appears to be so totally dependent on external sources even for its food supplies. A vigorous agricultural expansion is clearly needed to give impetus to economic growth, to relieve food shortages, to combat malnutrition, to curb inflation, and to alleviate pressure on the balance of payments. Indeed, the objective of a prosperous rural sector needs to be at the centre of our strategy against mass poverty. To ensure the continuation of the present agricultural momentum in Nigeria, however, considerable changes in agricultural policies are required.

      First, we need to review the provisions of the Land Use Decree, so as to facilitate acquisition of land for farming. Land remains one of the major constraints to agricultural expansion in Nigeria. Many local and foreign companies that would like to go into agriculture on a big scale are faced with the practical difficulty of getting land at prices they can afford. Many of the state governments regard the quest for agricultural land as an opportunity to charge exorbitant fees that are totally unrelated to the actual value of the land being sought. In addition, great care should be taken not to adopt policies that may be detrimental to the small scale farmers. Experience in several countries, such as Zimbabwe and Kenya, with more successful agricultural sectors than Nigeria, has shown that output per acre in many important food and cash crops is usually higher on small holdings than on large farms. In addition, small scale cultivation can not only lead to greater production, but also to more rural employment and better distribution of income. But much more important to a successful agricultural policy are the provision of extensive services, and the application of the results of the research institutes, particularly with regard to the development and distribution of high yielding crop varieties. It is a matter for regret that the government decided recently to reduce the subsidy on fertilisers by another 10 per cent. The financial gains accruing to the government as a result of this measure in no way compensates for the inevitable loss of momentum. This measure is bound to have a deleterious effect on the small scale farmer, who remains the back-bone of the agricultural sector.

       As in industry, there is a growing tendency in Nigeria today to favour mechanisation in the agricultural sector. While mechanical equipment have valid uses in agriculture in meeting the cycle of sowing and harvesting, we should be careful to avoid a situation that could lead to the under-utilisation of abundant labour in the rural areas due to a preference for mechanical equipment. It is also important to treat our agricultural policy as part of our rural development programme, which should encompass many activities besides farming. Complimentary employment possibilities may be found in a number of agro-industrial activities. These ancillary activities which should include handicrafts should give a spur to the modernisation of the rural sector, and thereby help to bridge the gap separating it from the urban sector. The creation of job opportunities in farming and in ancillary activities in the rural areas should continue to be supported by the provision of credit on favourable terms, the provision of extension services, the improvement of transportation, the construction of feeder roads, the expansion of marketing facilities, and the provision of training and management advice.

     

    Conclusion

      It is evident from the remarks that I have made that I see the whole question of increased productivity more in terms of man than goods. I believe that the best measure of productivity is the extent to which jobs are created, and basic human needs met. To conceive of, or define productivity in terms merely of output of goods is, in my judgment extremely narrow. As the late renowned economist once said, ‘development is about people, not the output of goods’. Thank you for your attention.

  • Tackling poverty and unemployment

    Tackling poverty and unemployment

    The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has partnered the directorate of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to train Corps members in entrepreneurship to make them self-reliant after the service year. BALIKIS MOYOSORE reports.

    To make them self-dreliant after the National Youth Service, the office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the presidency has partnered with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to float War Against Poverty (WAP), an entrepreneurship scheme aimed at equipping outgoing Corps members with business and investment skills.

    The pilot scheme of the training was held on Tuesday in Abuja, where some outgoing Corps members were empowered with start-up loan between N200,000 and N300,000 to invest in agro-enterprise of their choice.

    At the launch of the scheme, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Johnson Olawunmi, said the organisation believed the youth were gifted in different business skills but said many of them lacked financial wherewithal to start up their dream businesses.

    He said the loan would keep the beneficiaries busy after their Youth Service, adding that the business they would establish with the loan would boost the nation’s economy.

    The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on MDGs, Mrs Precious Gbeneol, who initiated the scheme, said the programme was aimed to engage Corps members in productive venture after Youth Service.

    She said the scheme would only be extended to Corps members passing out, saying they would be trained in small scale and agro-allied businesses. The interest-free loans given to the trainees, Gbeneol said, would enable them to generate jobs for others.

    She said the scheme was part of the poverty-eradication programme of the president. She said: “We have no doubt that the scheme would create wealth and boost agricultural productivity for food security. The beneficiaries are expected to train and mentor at least five youths in their host communities as well as use the platform of their agro-allied enterprise for community development activities.”

    Gbeneol said the scheme would be introduced across the state directorate of the NYSC, noting that any Corps member who wishes to be trained must express interest by completing the WAP Form of Intent in the state.

    The beneficiaries were trained in snailery, bee keeping, fish farming, animal husbandry, grasscutting farming, plantain multiplication and poultry farming.

    On completion of training, the Corps members were given relevant manuals and two copies of the Memorandum of Understanding, which they completed before the loans were made available to them.

    Oluwatosin Oke, a 26 year-old youth, who benefitted from the scheme, said he had made a resolution not to look for white-collar job since he was an undergraduate. While he may not have realised his dream to become self-dependent, Oluwatosin said the loan would give him an opportunity to achieve his aim.

    Marcus Olugbenga, who served in Bauchi State, described the scheme as “good youth development project”, saying it could bring down the rate of unemployment at the within a short period if it is sustained.

    A beneficiary, Gbenga Ogunmakinde, who served in Abuja, qualified for the scheme after he was adjudged the best youth entrepreneur in North Central zone at the maiden contest of Youth Enterprise With Innovation In Nigeria (YouWin), an entrepreneurial competition initiative established by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

    Seven beneficiaries of the scheme were among 22 youths selected after a rigorous business plan contest organised by African in Diaspora Programme in Entrepreneurship Development. They selected youths will be attending advanced entrepreneurial training at Barry University in Florida, United States.

  • Technical education as panacea to unemployment

    Technical education as panacea to unemployment

    Six years after graduation without employment, the only viable option for Igwe Odo was to start up a business, but there was no start-up capital to pursue this. The plight of Igwe, who is a Bachelor degree holder in a management courses, is similar to challenges being faced by millions of graduates whose courses of study have rendered them unemployable, not because they are incapable of defending their class of degree but because they lack the requisite skill set as demanded by the prevailing socio-economic situation in the country.

    Despite the growing level of unemployability of graduates, it is disturbing to observe that many youth still scramble to acquire entrepreneurship skills. The dream of many secondary school leavers is to go to higher institutions and study one of those lucrative courses which they feel can confer a sense of pride on them.

    They do not bother to analyse economic and social variables to know if their choice discipline is relevant in the contemporary time. All they want to be is a graduate of any discipline as if the course of study is a guarantee of employment after graduation. The reality of the situation dawns on them after National Youth Service. When they could not get job, it is then they know their courses of study have not equipped them with skills that would make employers require their services.  Many of them would consider a different discipline if given a second chance as undergraduates.

    With technological advancement, nature of work is changing. There have been changes in skills and methods of work in many professions. Nigeria’s transition towards a market economy is placing demands for new skills and trades, making it difficult for people with obsolete knowledge, skills and work attitudes to retain their jobs. Rapid technological changes make certain skills go into extinction and demand higher levels of initiative and retraining.

    As technological changes occur at unprecedented speeds, it becomes increasingly important to develop mechanisms that can foster skills highly demanded in emerging careers. There is no gainsaying the fact that Technical and Vocational Education Technology (TVET) is what Nigerians need to keep pace with employment demand in a technologically-driven economy.

    TVET is a comprehensive term referring to the aspects of the educational process involving, in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences, the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life.

    The curriculum of TVET is designed to help people develop their talents, interests and skills which would help them secure employment in various sectors of the economy. Its scope is not only limited to preparing people for employment and equipping them with the right skills that would make them self-reliant, it stretches to retraining people that are already employed, helping them acquire the latest skills introduced by technology, and providing them with the training needed for adaptability.

    TVET is borderless in its approach; it offers everybody an opportunity to earn a living and contribute to societal growth. It provides formal and informal trainings to people of different backgrounds in the society, including the physically challenged, rural and urban women as well as young people.

    Despite the great importance and prospects of TVET in developing manpower for the growth of economy, it is disappointing to observe that very little is done to encourage its growth and popularity in the country.

    Educational system in the country is skewed to favour conventional formal education. Secondary schools that offer technical education in the country do not get the attention they deserve; very few of them exist. Where they exist, they suffer lack of equipment needed to make their education technical. The awareness level of the place of technical education in the country is so low that even parents dissuade their children from acquiring TVET even when a child has the natural ability to become a technician.

    In the tertiary institutions, students of TVET are often seen by their peers as second class students whose course of study is not worthy of identifying with. But the table turns after graduation. TVET graduates can easily create employment for themselves and stand a chance of benefitting from0 employment opportunities because of their high technological skills.

    More so, many government policies in the area of TVET are not based on rigorous and reliable, research-based evidence. Instead of carrying out skill mapping to discover relevant skill sets needed in the society with a view to making policies that will address them, policymakers base their policies on what they think should exist instead of what is really existing.

    It is high time Nigeria paid attention to technical and vocational education in order to solve the problem of unemployment. Technical secondary schools should be given more attention. A carefully sequenced and flexible curriculum is needed at the secondary level to prepare pupils for skilled careers.

    Policymakers and TVET curriculum developers should ensure that instructions in technical education are delivered through use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as it is expected in the 21st Century teaching and learning. There is urgent need to establish a healthy link between the academia and industry to ensure that graduates acquire the desirable skills needed in the labour market. Solution to Nigeria’s problem of unemployment lies in making every graduates acquire skills that will prepare them as employers and make them employable.

     

    Chukwunonso is a Post-graduate student of Vocational Training Education, UNN

  • Industrialist laments graduate unemployment

    An industrialist and Jagunmolu of Igbominaland, Chief Abdulraheem Oladimeji has lamented the growing graduate unemployment in the country.

    Oladimeji, who is also the proprietor of Al-Hikmah University, Ilorin urged the Federal Government to sanitize and boost the business sector to facilitate employment for graduates in the country.

    He said this at a press conference in Ilorin as part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the university.

    He lamented the absence of enabling environment that could aid the establishment of industries in the country, noting that with favourable policies by the government at all levels, the business sector would grow and expand and create job opportunities for graduates.

    He said that the business sector is dying because the sector is fraught with dishonesty as emphasis is no more on quality but profit.

    The proprietor however noted that the government can save the situation by coming up with a policy that will sanitize the sector.

    He said that it also largely requires government’s intervention to resuscitate public and private industries that have gone moribund.

    Appreciating that education is the best legacy one can give future generations, Oladimeji said he was inspired to establish Al-Hikma University for posterity despite the high cost.

    “Though the establishment of the university cost me some of my property I am satisfied because I believes it is the lasting legacy I can leave behind,” he said.

    The proprietor thanked friends and others who has helped sustain the institution, which he said does not enjoy any foreign grant.

    To encourage less privileged students, Oladimeji said he launched a scholarship for indigent students of the university.  He also said that apart from the law programme, that has just been accredited, the school plans to run Engineering and Agricultural courses.

     

     

  • ‘There is no reason for unemployment in Nigeria’

    ‘There is no reason for unemployment in Nigeria’

    There is no reason for Nigeria to be faced with unemployment problem, the General Evangelist Worldwide of Christ Apostolic Church(CAC),Prophet Samuel Abiara has said.

     Speaking during the 29th anniversary of CAC, Agbala Itura, Lagos, Abiara said the country has enough resources to be great. “I believe many of you know that God has blessed Nigeria with different natural resources. Apart from oil, we have good soil, weather and many other untapped natural resources.  This means, more jobs can be created through these resources if they are exploited. A lot of Nigerians are hardworking.  Many people want to work but cannot find work. They even want to venture into business but are not encouraged. For instance, the roads are in terrible state and as a result many hours are wasted in traffic every day. Vehicles get spoilt easily, while many unavoidable accidents happen because of bad roads.”

    He advised Nigerians not to believe in people who see nothing good about the country saying: ”Put your mind at rest. Do not listen to prophecy of doom.”

  • ‘Farming is key to solving youth unemployment’

    ABUAD founder Aare Afe Babalola speaks on how the institution is making its enterprise farm to get students to embrace agriculture.

    Why  did  you  establish  ABUAD Enterprise Farm?

    Let me tell you why I started ABUAD Commercial Farm. I believe that the mistake of the economy of this country is agriculture because Nigeria is blessed with all that it takes to produce all types of crops. You recall that Nigeria was once self sufficient in agriculture before independence and even up to 1966 when the first military coup broke. It was the discovery of oil that caused us what we have in Nigeria today.

    (cuts) And what has this led Nigeria to?

    Unemployment! There is so much unemployment in the country because there is palpable apathy for agriculture. I obtained approval from NUC (National Universities Commission) to start Agriculture alongside other disciplines like Law, Engineering, Banking, Accounting, etc. Unfortunately, while other courses were oversubscribed, nobody applied for Agriculture. Despite that, I did not lose hope because ABUAD was established mainly to change people’s attitude to functional education and where students will graduate as employers of labour. I therefore decided to embark on commercial agriculture the success of which I know would change the attitude of students and Nigerians towards agriculture.

    What is ABUAD doing to entrench the culture of agriculture in her students?

    We make it compulsory for our students to engage in one form of agricultural practice or the other. Therefore we embarked on fishery, hatchery and we sell fresh and dried fish. Not only that, we decided to have a feed mill so we don’t have to buy from outside and we also teach our students how to produce it. Then, we decided to engage in other areas of agriculture. First the annual crops like maize, cassava, and yam, which can provide food and cash within three to six months. Later we embarked on permanent crops like teak trees, moringa, orange trees, which of course will take many years before one can reap from it. At different stages, we have about one and a half million teak trees. We have over 500 orange trees and 1 million 200 mango trees.

    But don’t you think there is a need to consolidate on this?

    Yes! To add values to what we produce, we established factories to produce mango, mango juice, and plantain chips. In the case of moringa, you can harvest it within three to four months; hence we decided to build a moringa factory with over 500,000 trees.  We now have seven products from its derivatives. In order to preserve perishable fruits which is another problem in this country, we ordered for a protection house. When we found out that the heat in Nigeria is so much, then we decided to build a green house.

    To encourage students and make them realise that they can as well be comfortable in animal production, we embarked on production of turkey, guinea fowl, pigs, quail, mushroom and others. As from next year January, students must register in different clubs named after cash or food crops. We have the plantain club, fish club, moringa club and so on.  They can register in one or two of these clubs and get a certificate for it at the end of each year. ABUAD is of the strong view that we cannot continue to produce students that will continue to roam the streets about. One of my greatest fulfillments is that we now have students coming into ABUAD to study agriculture.