Nigeria is on a time bomb worst than Boko Haram! The army of unemployed
graduates is alarming! Have you paused and ask the number of NYSC
members that participated in the scheme for the past ten years where are
they working now? The other category that were exempted from the scheme by
virtue of age and other considerations. Am aware as empowerment activist
that it is not every Nigerian that can become entrepreneurs, hence where
are the graduates working, let alone those with ND and SSCE?
Alas, fellow Nigerians with a country that the economic only grows on
papers without corresponding improvement in the standard of living.
There is no where there will be improvement in standard of living where
the real and productive sector is in comatose. It is the people that
will drive the growth and the people can only become engine of growth when
they are fully and gainfully employed.
The Federal Govt in the
recent time has concentrated so much resources to the amnesty programme,
which is commendable. I support the amnesty as a far- reaching legacy of
late President Musa Yar’Adua by restoring peace to the Niger Delta
region. It is well known facts those who are the beneficiaries of the amnesty
programme. However, the writer finds it objectionable to neglect the
law abiding citizens of this country by the sheer failure of the govt to
holistically tackle the menace of unemployment. The Poverty
alleviation programme has become poverty elongation!
The
National Directorate of Employment is moribund and SMEDAM lack the
practical know how to raise entrepreneurs. The Ministry of Youth
Development is a co-ordinating ministry to oversee youth affairs and
cannot be saddled with creating employment.
The banks are no
longer employing because they must maximize profits due to harsh
operating conditions. The telecoms and other lucrative sectors are in
the same ship with the banking sector. Where lies the hope of any
graduate in Nigeria! How do the vision 2020 become achievable? Forget
about the economic rating of Nigeria as 39th economic in the world. The
major index is predicated on oil revenue! Poverty in the land is more
real than hell. As a matter of fact Nigeria is a practical demonstration
of hellish experience. Any Nigerian that finds himself in hell will not
spot the obvious difference.
What is the rationale of
concentrating on the implementation of amnesty programme alone without
tackling the intractable unemployment in Nigeria? Why will the Niger Delta
Liberation Force (NDLF) not commend our ‘dearest’ President Goodluck
Jonathan for approving the third phase of the amnesty programme for
former Niger Delta militants.
The group similarly commended the
President for recommending NDLF soldiers for state pardon on offences
relating to taking up arms against Federal soldiers and damaging oil
facilities.
The NDLF ex-soldiers joined other Niger Delta
ex-militants who were registered for the third phase of the Federal
Amnesty programme to express gratitude to the President for the
decision. Capt. Mark Anthony, former spokesman of NDLF posited thus:
“We equally commend the chairman of the Federal Amnesty Programme, Hon.
Kingsley Kuku, for his patience and understanding in dealing with all
the ex-militants in the third phase of the programme.
“We are
commending him, especially for the troubles he personally encountered
with various ex-militant groups, such as phone threats, physical harassment from various ex-militants groups across Niger Delta until
this final approval and pardon.
We apologize on behalf of all
ex-militants for the troubles he experienced with different groups as
chairman of the amnesty programme and pledged to join the federal government
to maintain the existing peace for growth and development of the nation
and the Niger Delta region.”
It is seminal to state that since
the announcement of the approval of the third phase, all NDLF soldiers
who were on the wanted list of Nigerian Army- Joint Task Force (JTF)
have regained their freedom. NDLF also promised to join forces with the
JTF to promote peace and security in the Niger Delta. As earlier posited
the writer has no objection to the third phase or twenty phase (hahaha)
of any amnesty programme. They are citizens that need rehabilitation
and ‘settlement’.
The writer was in the solidarity with the
beneficiaries of third phase of the amnesty programme when they held travelers hostage for eighteen hours in December, 2011 at Lokoja
Bridge. I promptly informed my friends in the media particularly AIT as I
was also a victim of the hostage as I was travelling back from Election
Petition Tribunal at Ebonyi State. I really enjoyed the ‘show’ as I
actively participated in their songs and as lawyer to militants and now
to Boko Haram I understood their psyche. The hostage of travellers and
other agitations have resulted to this third phase of amnesty when
Government was busy quoting the expiration of deadline for granting of
amnesty.
The germane question, should unemployed graduates
resort to threats and other inimical vices for govt to resolve
unemployment situation in Nigeria? Cyber crimes that is on the increase
is perpetuated by unemployed graduates and other clever Nigerians.
Businesses, governments and other organizations in Nigeria currently
lose $200m (about N31.2bn) annually to the increasing wave of cyber
crimes in the country. The research and consultancy firm Earnest &
Young’s recent study which estimated annual cost of cyber crimes to the
Nigerian economy to be around $200m, also noted that in addition to the
direct cost of cyber crimes, the reputational cost to the country cannot
be underestimated.
Let the govt be responsive to the need of the
people by creating avenues where the ingenuity of Nigerian graduates can
be tap. No brain is idle.
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