Boko Haram, Militancy, Outcomes of Youth Unemployment Time Bomb Explosion, Say Experts

•  Utomi, Usman, Aremu, Lulu-Briggs chart course for job creation

Paul Obi in Abuja

Experts from different sectors of the economy thursday said the advent of Boko Haram insurgency in the North and militancy in the South are all outcomes of youth unemployment time bomb explosion.

This was made known at the second Daar Communications lecture and award in Abuja.
The experts argued that the prevailing cases of insecurity and surge in crime rate are symptoms of unemployment in the country.

Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mrs. Hadiza Bala Usman, explained that “the time bomb has exploded and one of the examples of explosion is the Boko Haram insurgency.
“It is a critical example which showcases and exemplifies when you have teeming youths that are not educated, that lacks creativity.

“Our country has suffered and is suffering from this time bomb and would continue to suffer as long as we don’t take concise efforts in addressing it and also recognising that the root cause of some of these issues as seen with Boko Haram and militancy is a function of our inability to address the concerns around our youth restiveness.

“And I would like to repeat that not everybody would be in a white collar job and that not everybody would be employed by government. We need to provide an avenue for entrepreneurship and policies that would support the growth of this industry. That is the only way we can maximize the potential that we have in our population,” Usman stated.

Also, Prof. Pat Utomi tasked the Nigerian government and stakeholders to focus on ‘transitional employment’ where those with less skills are automatically employed, and at the same time enrol in vocational education to develop and educate themselves.

Utomi harped on the need for strategic planning in the area of job creation in order to avoid pitfalls associated with previous national policies on employment.

Speaking, General Secretary, National Union of Garments and Textile Workers of Nigeria, Issa Aremu, said: “What Nigerian leaders should be holding is job creation conferences and not marriage conferences like we saw in Kano.”
Aremu tasked the federal government to focus on how to protect indigenous companies from the exploitation of foreign companies.”

He cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari to desist from signing the African Trade Agreement which would hamper Nigeria’s economy, “by signing such agreement, you end up creating jobs overseas while creating unemployment at home in Nigeria.”

Earlier, the key speaker at the event, Executive Vice, Moni Pulo Petroleum Development, Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs, harped on the need for the Nigerian youths to take their place in the scheme of things.
Lulu-Briggs said there is need to focus squarely on youth employment and development, as there was already a time bomb explosion of unemployment among the youth.

Presentations were also made by former Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Prof. Akpan Ekpo, and Managing Director, Rise Network, Mrs. Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji.