Nigeria, stated to be large of Africa and with a strong inhabitants of over 150 million, can boast of bountiful provide of human sources, each expert and unskilled, made up of women and men, account for the capital base of the nation. Nevertheless, it might be pertinent to notice that the variety of expert however idle far outweighs the unskilled and dealing (Rotimi Ige, Tribune Newspaper; Tuesday sixth July, 2010. ). The above cited work represents the view of most Nigerian populace on Nigeria and the extent of unemployment in its economic system. Earlier than we are going to reveal extra into the discourse, tell us what the idea ‘unemployment’ connotes. Ewa Udu and Agu (2000) outline unemployment as a state of affairs by which individuals succesful and prepared to work are unable to seek out appropriate paid employment.
Unemployment could possibly be seasonal, frictional, internationally transmitted or structural. Seasonal unemployment happens in industries which are seasonal in nature. Such industries interact labour briefly through the peak durations and lay them off within the off-peak seasons. Once more frictional unemployment exists when explicit occupation has surplus staff in a single a part of the nation whereas areas for related jobs are very a lot out there and usually are not stuffed in different geographical areas of the identical nation. Poor information of the existence of job alternative elsewhere and labour immobility are the most important issue that give rise to this sort of unemployment. Furthermore, in export-oriented industries, if demand within the industries falls off resulting from deterioration of commerce of the importing nation, most staff within the industries will probably be laid off. Typically, there could also be modifications within the sample of mixture demand and within the methods of within the business. When this happens in an hostile method, some staff could also be affected and they are going to be retrenched. That is termed structural unemployment.
In 2006, the speed of unemployment was solely 2. 9%. It rose to an outrageous fee of 5. 8% in 2007. Thereafter, it fell barely to 4. 9% in 2008. Since then, it remained static at that degree until the current 2010 (CIA World Factbook). These statistics don’t painting Nigerian economic system within the optimistic as regards employment of human sources as a result of in a rustic like Britain, 2% fee of unemployment of the labour pressure is taken into account very excessive. Latest launch by the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics experiences that over 20 million graduates are unemployed in Nigeria. An off-the-cuff go to to any heart the place employment aptitude take a look at is being carried out will present one the precise degree of unemployment on this nation. The take a look at carried out by WAMCO Consulting Agency on behalf of 1 Dutch firm final 12 months witnessed greater than 30 thousand candidates. One other take a look at carried out by the identical agency on behalf of Honeywell recorded extra quantity.
These candidates had been solely those that met the screening standards (ie 2nd Class Higher), am not speaking about those who utilized however had been rejected. When most banks carried out their very own assessments, safety males (illiterates) had been used to drive graduates up and down. Some had been flogged, maltreated and humiliated; simply because they wanted some job. One hardly passes ten folks on the street with out coming throughout not less than one unemployed graduate. A few of these graduates have migrated spherical all of the cities of Nigeria searching for jobs; all to no avail. They’ve moved from Lagos to Port-Harcourt, to Kaduna, to Kano, to Onitsha and all different locations unfit of mentioning.
This socio-economic drawback of unemployment could be attributed to many and diversified causes. A few of the conspicuous roots of the issue embrace inhabitants, educational curriculum, selection after all of examine, laziness, greed, authorities insurance policies, employment discrimination and authorities poor implementation of its employment insurance policies.
Nigeria is essentially the most populated black nation of world. The final carried out census put the determine at over 100 and fifty million. On this nice quantity, greater than 50% are within the labour pressure of the nation. What this implies is that there will probably be critical drag for the little out there openings of job alternatives out there. This gives the reply to the explanation why greater than thirty thousand Nigerian graduates end up for a job aptitude take a look at that won’t take as much as twenty candidates.
Extra so, one other main explanation for unemployment on this nation is the schooling system and the kind of curriculum they run. From major college to the college, the curriculum is extra of concept than sensible. Within the eighties, major college pupils had been requested to do crafts; molding objects, making baskets, carving works and different handiworks however at this time in public colleges, they’re requested to convey bathroom tissues as craft whereas in non-public colleges, they bring about cash in lieu of craft. So, after major college, a holder of First Faculty Leaving Certificates can’t do something together with his or her hand. That of put up major college is nothing to write down residence about. The scholars are taught solely cram textbooks and nothing extra. As soon as you’ll be able to commit all of the contents of Ababio, P. N.
Okeke and Trendy Biology to reminiscence, you’re a vivid and clever scholar. No person or no trainer cares whether or not you understand their sensible functions or not. Ours is Science with out Expertise; which is ineffective. All of the outdated Business and Vocational Faculties that supplied vocational programs like catering, trend and designing and culinary expertise have all been become pure unusual secondary colleges to be able to be part of the pattern and never run the chance of being left behind.
All of the graduates of those excessive colleges haven’t any place in economic system as a result of they haven’t any ability to supply for alternate. This pattern takes the scholars into the college. The college is the worst as a result of not solely that it’s concept primarily based system however most lecturers usually are not even prepared to offer that concept. College students are taught pc science within the classroom with no single pc system. Most roadside mechanics are extra skilful than most graduates of mechanical engineering who parade themselves as engineers. A last 12 months Accounting scholar has by no means seen an actual money ebook besides the hypothetical ones he sees within the textbook. How can a product of this sort of system be employable?
Alternative after all of examine is one other issue that contributes a lot within the employment issues in Nigeria. Many dad and mom have a tendency to decide on careers for his or her offsprings as a result of they in love with a selected occupation with out contemplating whether or not these their youngsters have penchant for such occupation. Some folks could wish to be musicians or comedians however their dad and mom will kick towards that and pressure them right into a self-discipline they’ve aversion for. On the finish, after they come out of college, they can’t apply and thus stay unemployed. Once more, resulting from JAMB and its associated admission issues, some college students find yourself learning what they did not intend learning initially. Many college students began with Sciences however they ended up learning an Artwork course resulting from admission ‘wahala’. Nigeria is a creating economic system. For that, not all disciplines are absolutely practical right here. If you happen to learn such programs, you stay unemployed until you’ve gotten a godfather someplace. I can nonetheless keep in mind when one former president of Nigeria was addressing some nationwide points on Radio Nigeria and other people had been calling him to ask some questions. One man known as and advised him that he graduated from the college and for 4 years he had not gotten a job. The president requested him what he learn and he replied ‘Sociology’. The president gave a mirthless snort and advised him that every one the cash spent for coaching him was wasted. Though that professionalism is just not so extremely upheld in Nigeria, but there are graduates of sure disciplines that can’t match into Nigerian economic system. The crude mentality of a larger proportion of Nigerians equally contributes to this. As an illustration, someone who has some issues, obstacles or setbacks would fairly go to a local physician, pastor or prophet as an alternative going to a psychologist.
Extra so, some graduates are lazy to work. They need straightforward life. They anticipate all the things to come back in a platter of gold. Most of them are in search of white collar jobs the place they’ll simply sit below an air conditioner, do little or nothing and receives a commission. They are going to maintain in search of that sort of job until eternity. A graduate was supplied a job as a retailer keeper and he has the temerity to say that he will not contact or prepare cartons. This implies he’s lazy and never but able to work. Some feminine graduates consider posting their footage to all of the social networks, relationship and match making web sites on the web to solid their bait and know if they will catch a giant fish. No person needs to bear the cross earlier than carrying the crown any longer.
Moreover, some graduates are too grasping. Lots of them do not need to begin from the scratch. They need to make it in a single day. They thought that when one graduates from the college, he grow to be tremendous wealthy. Most of them solely discuss and focus on concerning the ‘massive pictures’ within the society with out taking out time to learn their biographies or not less than undergo their profiles. In the event that they do this, they’ll discover out that every one these women and men have labored and served in varied capacities; each high and low earlier than arriving at their current positions. Instantly after commencement, the eyes of those graduates are set on Politics, Oil and Fuel and Banking (when banking was doing nicely), ignoring different lesser sectors which are prepared and able to take up them. All of them need to journey fanciful newest automobiles after three months of their employment. That is utopia and mirage as a result of such jobs are semi-nonexistent now. For that, most graduates will carry on ready for them until kingdom come.
Once more, there’s a nice discrimination and prejudice occurring within the labour market now. Employers of labour usually are not serving to issues in any respect. Some candidates are prejudiced towards on the grounds of their intercourse, age, sort of certificates and even tribe or ethnicity. Most workplace works could be finished by each women and men alike; why the intercourse discrimination then? Why will we see an advert that goes like this “a younger feminine accountant wanted for speedy employment”? Does it imply {that a} male can’t do this job? Some job interviewers give jobs to women that aren’t certified as a result of they agreed to sleep or have slept with them; abandoning the extra certified males. Females are equally being discriminated towards however are principally married ladies. Most engineering jobs that entails a lot discipline work and fixed motion do not often think about ladies. Most new era banks do not think about married ladies. Some go the extent of getting the younger women signal an enterprise that when they get married, their appointments are terminated. Age is one other space for discrimination. Banks in addition to different blue chip firms are principally culprits of this offence. Most of them do not settle for any applicant that’s above twenty-four years outdated. They want very younger, lovely and engaging women that they’ll push into the marketplace for ‘company prostitution’. The younger good-looking guys are used to entice the sugar mummies to function an account with them. . These younger fellows are pushed again into labour market as soon as they failed to fulfill up with the unrealistic targets given to them. The worst discrimination within the labour market is that of BSC/HND dichotomy. Many employers of labour discriminate towards the HND holders in favour of their counterparts with BSC. Though that within the advert, they all the time write BSC or HND because the qualification wanted however when it reaches to the precise job placement, the HND holders are jettisoned. Authorities equally has a hand within the creation of unemployment within the economic system. Some authorities insurance policies are extremely detrimental to job creation on this nation. Some graduates who could not discover jobs choose up bikes and grow to be ‘okada’ riders. However some State Governments thwarted their efforts by laying a ban on okada using. Many graduates need to go into the manufacturing of native drinks, cosmetics and different little gadgets with little fund they garnered after service however they do not have the cash to register the merchandise with applicable authorities businesses like NAFDAC, SON and so on. A few of them that succeeded in erecting a small scale manufacturing corporations are being asphyxiated by large and extra taxation. All these not withstanding, the federal government has initiated some insurance policies and established some businesses that may assist in addressing the difficulty of employment in Nigeria. Some authorities efforts in the direction of reaching a excessive fee of employment in Nigeria embrace the institution of Federal Ministry of Labour and Productiveness, establishment of the Nigerian Director of Employment, initiating of Nationwide Poverty Eradication Programme and Nationwide Financial Empowerment Growth Technique.
Federal Ministry of Labour and Productiveness has a community of thirty-one Employment Exchanges and seventeen Skilled and Govt Registries. Nigeria Directorate Of Employment has 4 particular programmes that are Vocational Abilities Growth, Rural Employment Promotion, Small Scale Enterprises and Particular Works. Nationwide Poverty Eradication Programme has 5 initiatives that are as follows: Village Financial Growth Options, In Care of the Folks, Group Financial Sensitization Scheme, Multi Companion Matching Funds and Rating on Poverty. Nationwide Financial Empowerment Technique is a Nigeria’s plan for prosperity. The federal government method of letting the folks know the way it plans to beat the deep and pervasive obstacles to progress that the federal government and the folks have recognized. The best of the obstacles is unemployment.
Despite all these establishments and programmes, the economic system is but to really feel any considerable impression on the world of employment. All of them stay solely fanciful drawings which are solely achievable on the pages of the newspapers. NDE not too long ago carried out a Graduate Attachment Programme Take a look at by which greater than 1,000,000 graduates took half on-line. Lastly, solely 500 had been accepted and educated. After the coaching, there have been no openings the place they could possibly be fastened and the NDE Director, Mallam Abubakar Muhammed was begging the Nigeria Employers Consultative Affiliation to assist take up the trainees as interns. Every day Solar of Wednesday, twenty first July, 2010 reported thus “Minister of Finance, Mr. Olusegun Aganga has pledged the FG’s resolve to deal with unemployment within the nation as he decried the 49. 9 % unemployment fee within the city centres throughout the nation. NAPEP additionally lays a lot emphasis on non-public sector initiative as a sustainable poverty eradication initiative. The whole lot now boils right down to the non-public sector; the federal government is just not able to rise as much as its duty of offering employment for its residents. All these authorities insurance policies lack substance therefore they’re poorly executed.
This social and financial canker known as unemployment has many disastrous penalties on the whole nation. It offers rise to social vices, mass exodus of some Nigerians to different international locations, steady financial instability, stagnant or decreased Gross Home Product and so on.
Many youths who’ve endured the scourge of unemployment for an extended time period have determined to problem their destiny by selecting up arms and grow to be armed robbers, political thugs and kidnappers. Kidnapping has grow to be a standard train in Nigeria as a result of youths are idle and satan finds work finds work for idle palms. Every day Solar of Friday sixth August, 2010 reported that one Mr. Silas Ifeanyi, a Home of Consultant aspirant was kidnapped on his method again to Onisha from his residence city Nsukka. Mr. Ifeanyi was very stunned to seek out out that every one his kidnappers had been all graduates. Youths of Niger Delta turned to militancy as a result of they do not have cheap and sustainable jobs. Even the put up Amnesty insurance policies that should get them fastened into respectable ventures within the economic system usually are not being absolutely applied as proposed. Normal election is quick approaching and so many unemployed graduates are able to stake their lives simply because they haven’t any options. Feminine unemployed graduates imbibe the spirit of the cliché “use what you must get what you need”. Most of them have become full time prostitutes. Each romantic journal and all relationship web sites have their names and fabricated profiles in search of hook ups.
Some debased themselves to the extent of renting rooms in brothels or hanging in golf equipment and resort premises for any out there standing.
Many graduates have been unemployed for therefore a few years that they’ve misplaced their self worth and developed an inferiority advanced. They’re withdrawn from social gatherings and disassociate themselves from their mates who appear to be doing nicely economically. Typically, they even undergo stigmatization from associates and kin. The members of the family who entrusted hopes in them that after their commencement, they’ll begin benefiting from them are all disenchanted.
Their dad and mom are bored with feeding them and giving them pocket cash even nonetheless after commencement. They’re seen as utter social misfit. All these represent emotional and psychological trauma for the unemployed youth.
Many of the web and ATM rip-off are perpetrated by the unemployed graduates. Web fraud makes use of on-line providers to current solicitations to potential victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to monetary establishments or to others linked with the scheme (WIKIPEDIA).
ATM scams are on the rise and the usage of on-line data has made it one of many simpler inter-net scams to tug off for any reasonably technically con artist (http://www.secureidentity.com.au). Why is web and ATM rip-off on the rise? The reply is just not far fetched. It’s due to the excessive fee of unemployment within the nation. Man should survive someway, they are saying. This doesn’t finish right here. This unemployment has led many youths into totally different types of forgery.
Resulting from the truth that each employer wants folks with some years of working expertise, many unemployed graduates have began forging appointment letters, in order that they might be thought-about. Resulting from the truth that those who did not participate within the NYSC programme are discriminated towards within the labour market; these graduates that did part-time, sandwich or night programmes go to the extent of forging NYSC discharge certificates or pay cash to some unlawful brokers to be able to be mobilized for the programme. Just lately there was a report within the Punch Newspaper of Tuesday, August 3;2010 that 69 pretend corps members had been arrested in Nasarawa State. How a lot does a corps member earn that may entice someone to contain himself in such a disgraceful act if not for starvation brought on by unemployment? Some even pretend suggestion letters from extremely positioned authorities officers to be able to be thought-about for a job. Probably the most annoying of all these frauds and scams are those pull by the so-called employment brokers. These are cheer exploiters. These folks understanding absolutely nicely that many individuals are determined for jobs use it as a chance to cheat them. They go concerning the cities and cities of the nation pasting posters promoting for non-existent jobs. Some even promote on the pages of Newspapers. The unsuspecting and harmless job seekers all the time fall prey to those criminals. They extort cash from candidates with the promise of linking them with mouth watering jobs. Ultimately they’ll disappoint and aBSCond with their cash.
One other main consequence of unemployment is the mass exodus of the youth in another country. That individuals migrating in another country is just not the most important drawback however the concern is that the majority of them do it illegally. All people is in search of a greener pasture and Nigeria does not appear to be one as a result of there is no such thing as a job, subsequently folks should depart whether or not legitimately or in any other case! Many Nigerian youths die on their approach to Europe; the place they undergo deserts, forests and different barricades. Most Nigerian youths are presently languishing in overseas prisons simply because they’re struggling for survival (though generally wrongly). Most individuals have been duped by some so-called journey brokers. These brokers gather cash from folks below the pretext that they’ll put together touring papers and assist them to journey. Lastly they’ll aBSCond with all these cash with out doing something.
The financial impact of this unemployment on the nation is that there’s a nice loss within the potential output that might have been generated by these unemployed labour pressure. This decreases what ought to have been the precise Gross Home Product. This finally results in financial instability. Nigeria was not invited to the G20 Summit on the grounds of political however principally financial instability.
Regardless of all these causes and penalties of this financial drawback of unemployment, one thing nonetheless must be finished to handle if not redress the state of affairs. We will not proceed crying over the spilt milk fairly we should always rise to the challenges and take the bull by the horns. The federal government by means of its Ministries, Departments and Companies ought to get up to its obligations. The Federal and varied State Ministries of Training ought to restructure the tutorial curriculum to go well with the calls for of the current day economic system. The schemes of labor ought to be extra sensible oriented than concept primarily based. Vocational research ought to be inspired. There ought to be institution of extra technical colleges and the present ones ought to be adequately geared up. Authorities ought to present sensible supplies to its varied universities. These supplies embrace computer systems, laboratory gear, equipment and so on.
Furthermore, dad and mom ought to cease interfering of their youngsters’s selection of profession. These youngsters ought to be allowed to decide on what they’ve ardour for in order that they will apply after the coaching. Once more the potential undergraduates who’re discovering it troublesome to move College Matriculation Examination ought to desist from accepting ‘anyhow’ course supplied to them by the college due to their low grade fairly they need to work more durable to attain their objective irrespective of how lengthy it would take. They’re suggested to go for programs which are presently related within the Nigerian economic system. Nigeria presently wants extra of folks that studied enterprise associated or sensible oriented programs.
One other space that deserves authorities consideration as regards employment is the availability of electrical energy. Some graduates are prepared to enter small scale manufacturing however because of the erratic nature of the facility provide; they’re incapacitated. The price of manufacturing will probably be too excessive in the event that they rely on generator set. Most of them can’t afford the fee.
Loans and credit ought to be made out there and accessible to younger graduates who need to go into entrepreneurship. There are 4 hundred and 7 registered microfinance banks in Nigeria, but younger entrepreneurs do not have entry to funds. Most of them give loans at an outrageous fee of 20% each year with collateral safety supplied they usually do not give greater than fifty thousand naira. But they declare that microfinance banks assist the youths principally in reaching their targets in life (Scribd web site). The federal government ought to mandate the monetary establishments to supply loans for graduates who want to go into enterprise ventures at a really low rate of interest and settle for solely their educational certificates as collateral.
Lastly, younger graduates who’re but get jobs ought to study to take their destiny of their palms. On the again cowl web page of Fortunate Star train ebook is written “The one Nigerian who doesn’t ask anyone to offer him work is the uneducated”. If that is true of uneducated, then the educated ought to be higher off. They cant proceed asking anyone to offer them work. They need to be job creators as an alternative of job seekers. What I imply is that self employment and entrepreneurship ought to be in the back of thoughts of each younger graduate. Nigerian economic system nonetheless has a really large market and alternatives craving to be tapped. It solely wants cautious observations and thorough evaluation. Alternatives abound within the areas like ICT, Sports activities, Leisure, enterprise and agriculture. With the little cash saved throughout youth service, one can begin up a small enterprise which is sure to develop with time. With the information of ICT methods, one can do many issues like designing of graphics, printing of labels, id playing cards and so on. An unemployed graduate can manage some leisure exhibits or sit down and write books. He can equally write scripts for film productions or write different entertaining books and promote them off to publishers. He can worse nonetheless connect himself to a personal college as a tutor and on the identical time be organizing non-public tutorial courses for college students and adults.
Conclusively, some consultants and authorities say that agriculture was the mainstay of the economic system earlier than the invention of petroleum however I keep that agriculture remains to be the mainstay of the economic system. The discharge by Nationwide Bureau of Statistics exhibits that agriculture contributed the very best quota of 41. 84% to the Gross Home Product of 2009 whereas the ‘almighty’ petroleum contributed solely 16. 05%. This suggests that agriculture nonetheless dominates the economic system. So, the younger graduates who’re but to safe jobs ought to see agriculture as a great various. Areas like fish rearing, rabbit rearing, small scale poultry, vegetable plantation and quite a few others ought to be explored. These don’t take a lot sources. As an illustration, fish could be reared in a GP storage tank and even in a really small aquarium.
Subsequently, the innumerable unemployed graduates ought to gird their loins and prepare for actions. They need to cease ready for presidency as authorities has nothing to supply by way of employment. They need to make use of the potentialities that nature endows them with to provide you with concepts, improvements and options. After getting options to folks’s issues, they need to come in search of you and pay any value you require. The world wants an issue solver and when you grow to be one, you can find out that THERE IS NO UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA.
