The high rate of unemployment in the country has being attributed to corruption value chain in high places of authority which is a worrisome situation that urgently require deliberate effort by both government and the private sector to solve .
The wave of criminality such as kidnapping, armed robbery, terrorism, rape, cultism among others, are harvest of unemployment which has remained not addressed.
In Nigeria today, it has become a norm that before an unemployed person secure any job, whether in government or private enterprises, he or she must be connected to a top government appointee and or a staunch politician.
The situation has degenerated to a worsened state that Nigerian lawmakers – Senators and members of the House of Representatives, ministers, governors, commissioners, council chairmen, traditional and religious leaders – issue notes to applicants before they are considered for any job.
It is pathetic that even if an applicant angling for a job is eminently qualified but does not have link to the ‘sacred cows’ in top government places, such a person does not get to be employed.
Also, there are situations where some applicants who are not in any way qualified for job but has connections with those in government, are offered plumb jobs without prerequisites or having to go through the rigors.
To worsen the matter, applicants are now reportedly required to pay huge sum of money before they are employed. The ugly trend is allegedly rampant in federal ministries, military and paramilitary agencies.
The principle of federal character which stipulates fair and equal sharing of jobs across states and regions in the country is totally neglected.
It is obvious that jobs are no longer being allotted evenly. The new illegal method is that whoever presides over government decides or pushes chunk of the job slots to his or her state or region.
“The unemployment situation in the country can only get worse than better because corruption has taken the center stage. If you are not connected to a politician or government official, you cannot secure any job in Nigeria.
“When we applied for paramilitary job in the recent recruitment, applicants were asked to pay between N300,000 and N600, 000 according to junior or senior rank. But those that brought notes from Senators or paid the money did not even go through screening, and they were shortlisted. Some of us, because we had nobody, we were qualified, we passed through all the process including training but at the end, our names were not listed for employment. This country is finished,” an unemployed youth in Abuja spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the current unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 23.10 percent in the third quarter of 2019 from 22.70 percent in the second quarter of 2018.
Unemployment Rate in Nigeria averaged 12.31 percent from 2006 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 23.10 percent in the third quarter and a record low of 5.10 percent in the fourth quarter.
By this record, it means the country is not making any remarkable progress in tackling the unemployment rate, if compared to the total pollution of the country.
Recently, the minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, during a workshop on “Breaking the Resilience of High Unemployment Rate in the Country” in Abuja recently, said the unemployment rate in the country will reach 33.5 percent by 2020.
“As if this situation is not scary enough, it is projected that the unemployment rate for this country will reach 33.5 percent by 2020, with consequences that are better imagined, if the trend is not urgently reversed.
“It is a worrisome status as the global poverty capital (World Bank, 2018); and concomitant high prevalence rate of crimes and criminality, including mass murders, insurgency, militancy, armed robbery, kidnappings and drug abuse, among others,” Ngige had said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate recently said it is concerned that the rate of unemployment is rising to an uncontrollable level.
According to the Upper Chamber, the high level of insecurity is simply as a result of unemployment. It said government must act fast to address the situation, if not, the condition is capable of collapsing the country.
Consequently, the Senate directed the federal government to urgently declare state of emergency on unemployment with a view to not only ending the scourge, but to make jobs available to all categories of unemployed persons.
This, the Senate insisted can be achieved through revitalisation of critical sectors such as agriculture, mines and steel. Also, it said industrialisation and skills acquisition can enhance employment opportunities.
The decision by Senate was sequel to a motion by Senator Ike Ekweremadu, a former deputy Senate President. He said that “any nation with such number of unemployed but employable youth population is only sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
“Senate is perturbed that the most pressing demand on the hand of every legislator and public officer is the rising number of Curriculum Vitae and application for employment from constituents and Nigerians.
“A situation where every graduate has to queue up for job only in government offices is an indication of the breakdown of private sector, which is the major driver of world economies,” Ekweremadu stated.
As much as Senate is peeved with the alarming unemployment rate, it amounts to waging war against itself because the template for illegal influence of employment can be said to have partly be set by it.
How does it suddenly become a norm that before an unemployed person is offered a job, he or she must bring a written note from a Senator? What becomes of those who do not know, have or not connected to Senators?
Quite funnily, it appears the Senators can no longer cope with the pressure created by themselves. They only seem to be sick and tired of uncountable employment requests they often receive from their constituents, and they want to simply purge it.
One thing that is fact is that, since the lawmakers – politicians, have penchant for making big promises – provision of abundant jobs, during their electioneering campaigns, it is only right they live up to their words than grumble over pressure.
Some persons have alleged that the lawmakers are architects of the breach of the principle of federal character. They alleged that till the lawmakers refrain from hijack of job slots, and issuance of notes to agencies, the alarming unemployment rate will continue to rear its ugly head.
Speaking on the worrisome unemployment issue, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan in an interview said it is high time all hands are put on deck, and that government at all levels should initiate or employ proactive measures that could bring the ugly situation to a permanent end.
Lawan however, denied the allegation that Senators hijack jobs by breach of principle of federal character. He insisted that they believe in fairness and legality. He also denied lopsidedness in nomination of appointments into the executive arm of government.
Although Lawan’s denial is coming few weeks after a job illegality was blown in the National Assembly where it was alleged that he cornered majority of slots to his state and senatorial district.
“One of the reasons we have gone for round table discussions in agriculture and solid minerals is to provide enabling environment for diversification of the economy. Agriculture will definitely provide a lot of employment opportunities and so with the solid minerals sector. But before then, we believe that government should continue to support the private sector because it creates more job opportunities than government agencies.
“Members of the National Assembly don’t hijack employment, we represent people and when there are opportunities, everybody applies, in fact these days, it is done online. I want to assure that nobody will hijack any opportunity.
“I believe in federal character principle because, it is equity, fairness and it is justice. Any society that is deficit in these areas is a society that is doom to fair. There is no issue of lopsidedness in nominations into executive.
“Probably, I over applied the federal character principle in some areas but I believe that I have done that much. In fact, in the last Senate, from employment in my office, only one person was from my place, only my personal assistant and that is because I believe in Nigeria, I believe in merit and want people who will only help me discharge my responsibilities. That same thing, I have done in the office of the Senate President. I am looking for people who will help me discharge the obligations of that office,” Lawan stated.
Meanwhile, experts have advised that to curb unemployment, government must institutionalise entrepreneurial skills. Those entrepreneurs should be supported to build and maintain their brands.
They say that empowering entrepreneurs can change the country’s current unemployment status by making unemployed persons self employed.
Robin Berenson, an academic innovation expert has said economy can only be approved by providing high quality, flexible and accessible higher education.
“The workplace is changing and so should higher education. We aim to bridge the gap between learners and employers. People should be equipped with leadership and teamwork skills, technology for business, corporate sustainability, innovation, change, and information-driven decision making,” he said in an interview.
Solomon Ayado, Abuja
