2015 elections: Tackling youth unemployment

The deprivation experienced by vulnerable youths in Northern Nigeria is visible on the streets of our major cities where qur’anic school pupils (almajirai) roam the streets in tattered clothes, hungry and dirty with their bowl in hand begging for food. When they are not in school the almajirai also spend some time doing menial jobs […]

The deprivation experienced by vulnerable youths in Northern Nigeria is visible on the streets of our major cities where qur’anic school pupils (almajirai) roam the streets in tattered clothes, hungry and dirty with their bowl in hand begging for food. When they are not in school the almajirai also spend some time doing menial jobs to survive. Statistics show that the number of out of school children in Nigeria is 10 million. The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act makes education free but almajirci is yet to be reformed by the existence of UBE and the integration of almajirai into formal schools project embarked on by the Federal and various state governments.
Their plight was captured at a national symposium on almajiri education organised in June 2013 by the Sokoto State Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Usman Danfodiyo University Sokoto. It was attended by stakeholders in education nationwide. Participants at the conference attributed the persistence of almajirci to structural factors such as poor and inadequate funding of educational sector, absence of political will to address the problem and economic pressures on scarce resources exacerbated by mass rural poverty. They also cited other factors such as the high spiritual need for Qur’anic education, less farming activities in the rural     areas during the dry season, and loss of glory of the certificated secondary school leavers who do not secure jobs to motivate others.  Education no longer guarantees ready jobs for the teeming youth population.
 A report was commissioned by the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) shows that 4.5 million new jobs are needed every year to absorb new entrants to the labour market. This demand represents an enormous challenge to government, yet without concerted progress towards it as a target, youth unemployment will present an ever-growing obstacle to development as well as enlarging the pool of potential recruits for violent actors. Governments at various levels have made a link between poverty and violence. In Rivers State, the Ministry of Youth Development observed that ‘The long neglect of the youth development sector has resulted in youth restiveness, militancy, unemployment, etc. and if not properly addressed may lead to national insecurity and chaos hence the need for a comprehensive plan and programmes for youth development.’
Two of the prominent traditional rulers in the north, the Sultan of Sokoto and the Shehu of Borno have linked youth unemployment to post election violence and the activities of Jama’atu Ahlisunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) commonly known as ‘Boko Haram’ respectively.
Successive governments have designed and implemented various employment generation and economic empowerment programmes to reduce levels of unemployment. Among them are the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria Programme (YouWIN!), and the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO). Others announced within the last few years include the Youth Employment in Agriculture Programme, the Agricultural Transformation Action Plan, the National Enterprise Development Programme, the University Entrepreneurship Development Programme, as well as the Integrated Youth Development Initiative.
In assessing the expected long term goal of these programmes which include poverty reduction, job opportunities and enhanced security for Nigeria, the NSRP research highlighted some serious concerns. Major challenges are ‘the inconsistent quality of programme design, outreach and delivery. These include poor quality control and performance management of provider institutions; weak systems for monitoring and evaluation M&E. Others are corruption and misuse of funds; as well as flawed outreach and beneficiary selection processes that are seen to leave opportunities open to manipulation by officials according to political, ethnic or religious affiliations. These challenges directly reduce the contribution of many programmes to reducing conflict, and may even cause them to indirectly exacerbate tensions.
 An important shortcoming for many initiatives is non- or limited consultation with young people whose views and priorities are often excluded from the design, implementation or monitoring of government programmes. Yet the youth have proved at several public events that they have vital contributions to make into policy. I attended a youth conference in 2012 organised by a group of youth managed and youth serving civil society organisations. Several presentations were made and in articulating what would assist in developing the youth a substantial number of presenters focused on contextual influences, such as interpersonal relationships that mentor positive growth, and risk-protective environments of institutions, such as schools and faith-based organizations. Others are legal codes and regulations, societal norms, gender analysis and responsiveness.
The youth also underscored the importance of embedding young persons in supportive networks. Education was identified as critical for empowering young people because schools often serve as the gateways for exposure to and absorption of life-protecting information and learning curricula. One key message was that educational programmes should be linked to national youth development strategies and that the responsibility for their implementation should be inter-ministerial. Most importantly, the youth spoke out as researchers and educators and said their future is NOW.
To make that future a reality, we should remind our politicians who are canvassing for votes to address the ticking time bomb of youth unemployment. Governments at all levels should ensure synergy, better planning and coordination of the youth employment sector. Bring a focus on youth job creation as an overarching goal line and stick to one clear road map to steer government projects at federal, state or LGA rather than proliferating initiatives.