TRAVAILS OF UN-EMPLOYED NIGERIAN YOUTHS The recent nationwide occurrence of multiple deaths of job seeking Nigerian on 15th march 2014 at different venues of the ill fated and poorly organized employment tests by the Nigerian Immigration service is not only a national embarrassment but also an accentuation of the fact that our education system is faulty, incomplete and needs to be overhauled. There is no gain saying that the organizers lack sense of organisation, management and administration. May the souls of the departed youths rest in peace. The mass rush and desperation by thousands of Nigerian youths for the immigration job is an indication that out youths depended so much on paid employment and and therefore lack necessary skills and knowledge needed for a healthy and productive life. This factor also explains why the youths are being exploited, maimed and oppressed by foreign industrialists in their home country: Nigeria. The reason for this lack of necessary skills is not far fetched. First, we have too much belief in University Education to the extent that we have made it an end in itself rather than means to end. Every parent has preference for university education. I am not saying we should not believe in university education but we need to remember that university education if ynot optimally utilized may become hazardous to productivity in the sense that university education is academic as it deals mostly with research, theoretical knowledge and mastering of facts. Unfortunately the attendent harsh Economic conditions and inadequate facilities with poor infrastructure in our higher institutions of learning has made the students resulted to cramming of facts hence the education becoming end instead of means. This however has led to acquisition of knowledge and not real education. Whereas education is supposed to create room for application of knowledge. Contrarily our graduates have become store or repository of knowledge and not be productive without regular paid employment. I am of the opinion that if an artisan is more productive than a university graduate, the former is more educated than the latter. The utter neglect and discrimination against technical education is a serious issue that must be addressed in order to solve unemployment problems afflicting the Nigerian youths. Due attention as a matter of necessity must be given to technical education so as to ensure impartation of knowledge and skills required for a healthy and productive life. Instead of working as unskilled labourers for the Asian, Lebanese, Indian and other foreign industrialists, our youths if equipped with technical education or vocation are supposed to be providing ancillary services to these industries. The only difference between our people and these foreigners is that the latter have technical education as must of them are not university graduates. The irony of it all is that these foreigners come to Nigeria without financial capital but for their technical ideas and viable business proposals, they usually succeed in the obtaining credit facilities from Nigerian banks, start and operate their business ventures, make and transfer their profits to their home countries at the expense of our youths. This is where the importance of technical education comes in to relevance. To correct or redeem the situation which hitherto we have found ourselves as a nation, the following factors should be considered; First is encouragement and revitalization of technical education. If I may ask? Where are the Government trade centers and Technical colleges available in the sixties up till the eighties? Particularly, due attention must be given to employment promotion of out school leavers and drop outs from primary to tertiary levels considering the fact that these youths constitute more than 85 percent of the un-employed labour force in our dear country. We should work hard to making the youth self employed and this is quite possible with our huge population growth and natural resources. To achieve this, we need to emphasize pre-vocational, technical and commercial courses into the schools curricula at all levels, establish more vocational training centers for school leavers and thus provide remedial education in various degrees for school drop-outs. Our students at all levels of education must be involved in agriculture revolution. There must be a general curriculum for the students irrespective of their academic disciplines which must teach them the nitty gritty of modern farming practices such as equipment handling, crop management, irrigation systems, seeds, fertilizer and crop protection as well as food production, preservation and processing. As such every student must have a stipulated numbers of hours to be spent on the farm per week or semester. Another factor that will help un-employment is a need for a change of attitude towards blue collar jobs. Nigerians must accord dignity of labour to manual labour as it is on USA and other western countries. Incentives should be given to graduates of Technical Colleges and Polytechnics while parents should teach and involve their children in trades and arts. On the part of the government, there should be provision of adequate funding for education do as to ameliorate the harsh condition of learning and poor infrastructure in our institutions of learning. A conducive learning environment will enable the students to acquire knowledge in the right perspective and thereby make good use of the knowledge acquired. Furthermore, the government should consider establishment of students loans bank to give credit facilities to indigent students. There is also the need for fiscal policies in aid of students, such as compelling corporate organisations operating within the institutions of higher learning and their environ to give part-time jobs to students who desire such. Large scale commercial farming is another major solution to un-employment and poverty in the lives of Nigerian youths. The government as a matter of expediency must provide opportunities for farm holding for the youths, give them all the necessary training and incentives. This factors will no doubts help the youths establish enduring decent, stable and predictable income streams that will enable them think long term and as well build wealth and security for themselves and their families. This is achievable with proper administration and planning, we should bear it in mind that the youth group constitutes a promise or a threats to the nation. In other words, if their predicament is not timely addressed, the situation may lead to un-precedents chaos, anarchy, crime and unrests in our society. Adeleke Odewade, CEO. OBREDSERV lekeatlaw@yahoo 08023213194.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 07:14:28 +0000
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