It is no
longer news that Nigerian is one of the top ranking in the list of countries
who can no longer provide job for its teaming population. So many factors
contributed to this, chiefly among them is corruption. Corruption is one
cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics of our dear nation, its
magnitude in our society can be best compared to the destructive prowess of
nightfall in J P Clerk’s “Nightfall”. The poet wrote. ”Nightfall comes like a
dreaded disease seeping through the pores of a heathy body and ravaging it
beyond repair.” experts says it will require serious commitment on the part of
both government and every Nigeria to stem the tide.
Corruption,
which has permeated the entire social structure of Nigeria, has robbed the
country of developing a vibrant economic base. Funds meant for development projects
such as localization of industries have been misappropriated, diverted, or
embezzled and stashed away in foreign banks, while some incompetent and corrupt
bureaucrats and administrators in the public enterprises and parastatals have
liquidated these organizations.
But while
efforts are put in place to battle corruption and reinvigorate the once buoyant
economy, wisdom demands that Nigerian unemployed populace, especially graduates
thinks outside the box. Any graduate in this era who still hope and believe in
the elusive job promise by the government is doing himself double damage.
Aside
corruption, another identified causes of youth unemployment in Nigeria is the
rapidly growing urban labour force, arising from rural urban migration
orchestrated by rapid population growth. Going by the 2006 census in Nigeria,
the nation’s population was put at 140,431,790 and projections for the future
indicate that the population could be over 180 million by the year 2020, given
the annual growth rate of 3.2 percent
Regardless of
the above unpalatable indices, Nigeria as a country has numerous business and
investment potentials due to the abundant, vibrant and dynamic human and
natural resources it possesses. Tapping these resources require the ability to
identify potentially useful and economically viable fields of endeavours.
Nigerians have made their marks in diverse fields such as science, technology,
academics, business and agriculture entertainment etc.
Agriculture
is on sector that has the capability to sustain a nation if properly harnessed
there are numerous lucrative aspects
such as fish farming, snail rearing, poultry grass cutter rearing, cassava
farming to mention a few. It is
sufficient not to forget that Nigeria’s main stay as a nation before the
discovery of oil in the Niger delta was agriculture. The groundnut pyramid in
the north, cocoa farming in the west and oil palm in the east and mid- west
Nigeria; these were the country’s major source of foreign exchange earnings.
ICT is
another area of great and immeasurable potentials that millions of people
around the world are making great fortune from, opportunities in this area
include blogging, website designing, software development, online networking,
hardware repairs etc one good thing about ICT is that it requires little or no
formal education to master.
How about
skills in soap making, cosmetics, baking and confectionaries, decorations. most
often than not, these skills are
underestimated, although they may be classified as small and medium
scale enterprise, but the fact remains that they are the real machineries that
drive the economy of any country.
Also, great
opportunities abound in the fashion and entertainment world, entertainment has
helped shaped the economic fortunes of many countries such as US, china, India
and lately Nigeria. Everyone has an inherent talent, discovering these talents
early enough will go a long way in shaping the future of the individual. Ask
yourself the question, what is my talent and how can I discover it.
For those who
are undergoing their one year compulsory service to father land. Hey! Stop
basking in that euphoria, for u may soon discover that the father land you are
serving under the sun and in the rain may not reward you in return. It will be
more profitable for you to get yourself a skill that will sustain you when
19,500 naira allowance alert is suspended.
And if you
are still in school, wisdom is profitable to direct you to start thinking
beyond the shored of the university,. Hear it now, there is no job anywhere,
but the god news is that you can create your own job and become an employer of
labour. Get involved in a skill, this is what will give you an edge over your contemporaries.
It is high
time graduates begin to look beyond certificate and start craving for skills, a
combination of both will make the holder an asset. In technologically developed
countries of the world such China, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Taiwan, high
premium is placed on skills rather than certification.
The onus
therefore lies on the individual either to take advantage of the opportunities
available to create wealth and become self-reliance or continue to depend and
hope on the government. There is no job anywhere, take a step today and protect
your future and that of the unborn generation. A stitch in time saves nine.
Written by
Ndu Samuel
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