Tackling Unemployment ‘Epidemic’ In Akwa Ibom

A survey recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has again indicated how unemployment has become an epidemic in Nigeria and particularly endemic in Akwa Ibom State which is rated second with 45.2 per cent.

While officials in Akwa Ibom State have questioned the veracity of the statistics for the placement of the state as second on the list, the reality cannot be wished away that teeming youths are currently unemployed.

This is no time to debate or wrangle over statistics but to take the bull by the horns and tackle unemployment headlong.

Government’s sincere efforts to tackle it have only been like a drop in the ocean. But it is the duty of a visionary government to always achieve the impossible and that is why efforts must be stepped up to drastically reduce unemployment in Akwa Ibom State.

Government should not be despondent nor consider the situation as insurmountable.

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In fact, people expect it to get water out of stone and rise up to the challenge by going the extra mile. The unemployment situation has become extraordinary and government must tackle it in an extraordinary way.

With the industrialization policy drive of the government, the unemployment situation will improve in due course.

But for now stop-gap measures should be created in the civil service for job opportunities. It is apparent that the civil service labour force is fast depleting as more people are retiring without corresponding recruitments to fill the gaps.

As a result some government ministries, departments and agencies are in most cases now understaffed and a shadow of themselves.

It would be recalled that in 2018 a full list of vacancies into the Akwa Ibom Civil Service was advertised and widely publicised, thereby raising hopes of mass employment.

Unfortunately nothing was again heard of the recruitment, thereby dashing hopes upon hopes.

Also, it would not be out of place for the Akwa Ibom government to replicate the Federal Government’s social safety net programmes such as N-Power which employed a first batch of about 500,000 Nigerian graduates, each paid N30,000 monthly. Recruitment for the second batch is ongoing.

Just imagine how such a similar programme, even on a slightly smaller scale, for unemployed Akwa Ibom graduates and youths will change their lives and keep them going until permanent jobs come their way.

At least it would not only have taken away a good number of unemployed graduates off the street but given them job experience.

Equally, government can introduce a scheme modeled after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), where Akwa Ibom youths just returning from national service are drafted to serve the state for a period of another one year.  Stipends from such state service will keep them active and away from the streets.

There are several programmes that could be tinkered over to stem unemployment. Government should always explore avenues to create mass employment that would be tied to projects of the government such as in agriculture and infrastructure.

Likewise should government consider emulating the Federal Government’s proposed scheme to employ 1000 youths in agriculture from each local government area.

There must be a conscious effort by government to create jobs and should not leave it to chance. Creating more jobs will have a multiplier effects on Akwa Ibom State’s socio-economic development.

Unemployment is an epidemic that needs to be confronted before it becomes a time-bomb waiting to explode.