Stories by Ene Osang
Abuja
The need for agencies to collaborate in finding lasting solutions to the high rate of unemployment among young people in the country has been emphasized.
This was harped on yesterday at a National youth job creation committee stakeholders meeting held on the theme “cross-sectoral collaboration for youth skills development and entrepreneurship training, at Reiz Continental Hotel in Abuja.
Speaking at the event; Minister of Youth and Sports Development Barrister Solomon Dalung, blamed government for the increasing rate of unemployment in the country.
Dalung noted that majority of leaders in Nigeria today went to school for free, but has suddenly turned the tide against the youths who now pay heavily for education yet cannot find jobs afterwards.
“Youths are national asset, if we invest in them we are sure of a better future and the reverse is the case if we don’t invest in them, there is no pretense about this.
“Majority of today leaders went to school for free but suddenly turned the tide against the youths. This is a conspiracy because most government officials from 1999 till date have their children school outside Nigeria,” he said.
According to the Minister, there is a need to approach the issue of youth development sincerely, while directing the committee on youth employment to double up efforts in this area.
“Development is not a one traffic way, there should be response from the youths who is the major concern when issues of job is mentioned. If we insist on creating jobs we would only be fixing a square peg in a round whole, we must end the era of motion without action,” he stressed.
“There are too many agencies and the absence of synergy among these agencies as well as lack of adequate data on youths is the brain behind youth employment,” he added.
The minister called for the streamlining of appropriate programmes on youth empowerment, even as he lamented that the Federal Government (FG) has zero allocation for the youths in the 2016 budget, saying that is why the ministry is falling on the goodwill of partners.
Earlier in her keynote address tagged “Addressing the challenge of youth unemployment through strategic cross-sectoral collaboration,” Mrs. Ndidi Nwuneli of Leadership Effectiveness Accountability Professionalism (LEAP) Africa emphasized the need for collaboration among stakeholders in the youth sector.
Nwuneli maintained that given the magnitude of the youth unemployment challenge in Nigeria, the only solution is embedded in cross sectoral partnerships.
saying this would enable resource sharing, expand reach, enhance credibility and foster communication outreach, greater measurement and evaluation.
She called on FG to create an enabling environment for youth entrepreneurs by streamlining and strengthening government agencies focused on youth employment and entrepreneurship like NDE, NYSE, ITF, SMEDAN, amongst others.
“There should be a one stop shop in every state where unemployed youths can key into for jobs. A comprehensive portal should be created building on existing portals. There is really no need forming new organisations because there are many youth based organizations that need to be strengthened,” she said.
Meanwhile, a Director in the youth ministry who gave a presentation of the youth employment plan of the inter-ministerial committee also re-echoed the need for MDA’s CSO’s and other stakeholders to collaborate in tackling youth unemployment.
In his welcome address the Permanent Secretary in the ministry Mr. Oduyebo said the meeting was held in order to harness the need to strengthen stakeholders to promote youth employment.
