Skills acquisition is the ability to train on a particular task or function to become judiciously independent in business. It is pity seeing thousands unemployed graduate roaming the streets looking for one or two things to do to avoid being jobless.
This is giving many youth in different parts of the nation a sleepless night as many engage in a heinous act of getting money, such as robbery, kidnappings, cyber crime, among others.
The only distinct factor between educated and uneducated youths is knowledge application, and the only way one can apply his/her knowledge is through practicals, because the practical aspects is what will make such a person better. Many of the graduates today have no capital to start up a business and that’s why they often get depressed and get themselves into illegal way of getting money.
Today, knowledge alone is a not a requisite factor considered in giving job, even if it is, the nation’s industries and government ministries can’t accommodate the high number of the unemployed youths.
It is evident that the highest number of unemployed youths found in the African continent is in Nigeria. The truth is that the major cause of unemployment among youths is lack of skills that will back up what they learned from their various institutions of learning.
The manpower is not there in the institution talk less of the youth to be productive, the entrepreneurship courses lack well trained lecturers that can deliver such training.
Many entrepreneurship courses were introduced, such as graphic design, typing, hair dressing, electrical maintenance, computer literacy, fashion designing, cosmetology, and others, but the manpower for teaching these course are not available in the Nigerian tertiary institution.
So, one needs to acquire skills to stand firm and to avoid engaging in some illegal act of getting money. Every serious human being need food, shelter and clothing to survive and the moment one of these things is missing one may suffer very much.
However, lack of entrepreneurial skills is one of the major causes of corruption, bribery, robbery and killing, kidnapping, insurgency, conflicts as well as misunderstanding between government and its citizens.
Forthese reasons, many development programs were introduced to serve as avenues of acquiring skills by various individuals.
If government will be serious of nurturing to youths on how to be creative in term business, no youth in Nigeria will cry of being jobless.
Implementation of relevant programmes within the school system such as carpentry, barbing saloon, among others, should be intensified. There are hard working and skillful people that can take the entire nation forward but due to financial inadequacy, they may end of being jobless.
Such categories of people need to be helped by government and the various stakeholders to stand on their feet. For example, students often design viable inventions for science fairs that could be produced and marketed for profile but the value that they create is never channeled into a business venture. Unfortunately, many of these students turn around and leave university without job options and opportunities.
Nigeria is reaping the bitter harvest of too many idle young hands which are not being channeled into projects to supply them with steady income and hope. It is crucial for government, wealthy individuals, donor agencies as well as private enterprises to use the tool of entrepreneurship still acquisition initiatives to provide opportunities for our young people to escape the chains of poverty and crime.
Idris Sa’adu,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri
