Solomon
Ojigbe, O.
 |
| Nigerian Applicants on the aptitude test ground |
The concept of
unemployment and criminality has been on the front burner of most public
discourse in contemporary Nigerian society. This is informed largely by the
grave consequence of the synergy of these seemingly ugly variables.
The causative factors of
the above social malaise ranges from but not limited to: moribund industries;
inefficient agricultural base; redundant developmental policies and programmes;
lopsided educational system that lays more emphasis on paper work as against
technical expertise/proficiency; others include: massive corruption; greed and
primitive accumulation of wealth particularly by the political elites;
inefficient social infrastructure; rural-urban drift; impact of multinational
corporations and trans-national corporations (MNCs and TNCs) amongst several
others.
To stem these ugly tides
the following measures must be conscientiously implemented:
Revitalisation of the
industrial sector by both the government and private sector. This is because
industries have a capacity of employing a large chunk of workers of all grades
ranging from skilled, semi skilled to un-skilled as well as trained and
un-trained for a larger part of the year than agriculture does. Hence, the re-engineering
of the industrial base makes the army of unemployed youths fecund to economic
growth.
In addition the Nigerian
agricultural system should be completely revamped with a view to making it more
attractive, more productive and more viable especially for young school
leavers. This way, youths will have a long term career prospect in the sector;
these will in turn accelerate the nations drive towards food security, self
sufficiency, wealth creation and employment generation.
Similarly, the political
elites must exert an appreciable level of both political and moral will to
formulate and tenaciously implement programmes that will better the lot of the
common man. The leaders must get there psyche treated against corruption and
greed since myriad of problems posing as imposture against the Nigerian society
stem from these deadly monster. In addition, the various anti-corruption
crusade spearheaded by the various anti-graft agencies: EFCC, ICPC, code of
conduct bureau etc should be more proactive, swift and with utmost veracity to
catch up with corrupt public officials.
More so, the educational
system need to be overhauled with a view to making it technologically driven.
Above all, shrewdness,
astuteness, good governance, accountability, transparency and patriotism on the
part of the leaders remains the absolute panacea to getting Nigeria out of the
woods and quagmire of unemployment, criminality and other social vices.
(The above piece is an
extract from the paper, unemployment and criminality: the Nigerian situation.
By Ojigbe, O.S (2010) (unpublished paper).
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