Defusing the youth unemployment time bomb

Efforts by all levels of government to contain the problem have limited success largely because the problem started several years ago such that solution requires more than the ‘knee-jack’ approach being applied. Youths, especially university graduates, have continued stream out with ever decreasing opportunities of employment. The situation arose from several years of failures of […]

Efforts by all levels of government to contain the problem have limited success largely because the problem started several years ago such that solution requires more than the ‘knee-jack’ approach being applied. Youths, especially university graduates, have continued stream out with ever decreasing opportunities of employment.
The situation arose from several years of failures of successive governments to accurately forecast the impact of surging volume of university graduates and matching opportunities of employment. The irrational proliferation of universities from the 1980s at the detriment of professionally skill oriented institutions of the 1950s/60s indeed aided the current debacle. In order to appreciate the point clearly, let’s reminisce and review students’ paths to growth of the ‘50s/’60s. Primary school leavers had interviews by panels at Local Government levels for assessment to suitable schools after their common entrance examinations. The panels determined appropriate placements and indeed ensured accurate balancing through approved Ministries of Education guidelines such that a student could be absorbed to a secondary school – a path that will lead to university degree – or a craft school and eventually technical college – to receive proper training to end up as a technician – or teacher training school – preparing him to become a teacher! This approach, designed by the Nation’s early planners, adequately catered for the needs of not only the society at large but enhanced children along the lines best fitted to them. Professional teachers evolved through vigorous trainings and actual teaching practices with profound impact on quality of tuition when they eventually join teaching service.
This approach has since changed with the craft and teacher training schools virtually abandoned. Every student right from primary school now aspires and indeed placed on the path to have a university degree no matter the likely chances of eventual employment on completion of studies. Yes, it is good to have graduates teaching at all our schools. Yes, it is expected that quality of tuition will be good with the graduates. However, is a graduate of engineering actually suitable to teach mathematics in a secondary school?  Are we really getting better examination results and overall students’ performances compared to the 70s and 80s? Is the quality of tuition today better than those years? Is the performance of degree holder today as good as those of the’70s/’80s? It’s arguable that indeed the HND track is similar to those of the degree holders despite some level of practical training during their studies.
The teacher training schools were shut down for reasons best known to our planners. It is believed that the change was meant to improve the quality of tuition of the youths – with teachers expected to emerge from secondary schools/ advanced teacher training schools. Whatever were the guiding reasons to the planners for change of approach, quality of tuition has actually continued to drop – if the results of WAEC and NECO in the recent past are any guide. The old system of teacher training schools for primary school leavers in fact produced more educated/ trained teachers- if past results were used as guide – and thus better for the society. Each year, results continue to indicate decline in quality of tuition and our planners must return to the drawing boards and re-plans based on realities on ground- lets go back to the old system. The nation cannot continue to lament on its problems. We must however reach out the younger ones at the primary level. Unless education at foundation level is put right, quality of secondary school and indeed university education will remain low.  Garbage-in, garbage-out period!
The number of university graduates now roaming the streets looking for jobs that hardly available is indeed worrisome. Talk of self-employment to graduate of History, Literature or even Engineering is meaningless because they are not trained to become productive on completion of their training. It is highly debilitating to an educated youth with all required qualifications to roam the streets in search of job depleting the meagre funds in his pocket and getting nothing at the end of the day. Efforts of several States and Federal governments to generate employments by absorbing the youths fall far short of meeting the huge population. Estimates put annual university graduates running into hundreds of thousands! The few that are able to get jobs by government organs end up in offices crowded with workers several of whom may even lack furniture. The new effort by the NYSC to prepare graduates for self-employment is commendable. It is however unlikely that the organization can grant sufficient funds to fully generate self-supportive ventures.
It is therefore desirable that the nation draws up a Marshall Plan to deal with the situation since huge numbers of graduates that have since completed the 1 year service have remained without gainful employment. Their dreams to have decent living, own their houses and have families with reasonable comfort will indeed remain dreams for long time. A robust plan must be developed to provide for more sustainable approaches to employment generation. This could be in form of training to manage small scale industries for productive purposes such as food processing plants.
Unemployment of graduates however, is a fraction of the overall youth unemployment of the country. There are several people that have never had attended any formal school but as Nigerians, equally require attention. This is in fact the biggest group that is largely under-employed implying they may be engaged in menial unsustainable jobs – mostly on daily pay, it becomes available. A major source of employment even in advanced nations with high population such as China is agriculture. This profession requiring generally basic skills with the right infra-structure in place can provide viable engagement to huge chuck of the populace. It is noted that, for example, Kano and Jigawa States have about 26 dams and imagine if these dams are seeded with fish such that 50% of all the Okada riders in these states start their days with trips to these dams for fisheries and production of several food items – tomatoes, onion, cassava, etc – returning to town late in the evenings. 
Imagine, therefore, similar projects at River Kumadugu Gana of Jigawa and Yobe states; Dadin Kowa dam in Gombe State; the several streams of Kaduna State; Lake Alau in Borno State; River Benue in Adamawa, Kogi and Benue States; Kirfi Dam in Bauchi State; Pockets of water basins/ rivers of Lagos State; Bakolori Dam in Zamfara State; Osun River, River Niger in Kebbi, Niger and Kwara States- indeed cutting across several States too numerous to state here. It is believed that several youths currently living without good livelihood will find suitable opportunities in such ventures develop their families and live happily. 
The mining industry has largely remained dormant. This is one sector that can provide massive employment with huge forex income to the nation. The South African mining industry is a major source of employment to the nation. Nigeria is blessed with large deposits of cobalt, iron ore, limestone and several others. It is reported that iron ore deposits lay from Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau and Nasarawa states remaining un-explored. China currently is the biggest importer of iron in the World and will, if properly packaged, provide support for exploration and production of steel in the country. The moribund Ajaokuta Steel Mill together with the several rolling mills- in Katsina, Osogbo for example – will spring back to full production thereby further generating more employment. This is just for steel the industry.
The approaches outlined will provide almost immediate reduction in unemployment and frustrations among youths. It will however not fully support the platform required to accelerate the much-needed growth of the nation, especially to place it on the path to industrialization -with heavy demand for electricity. A whole new approach is required in the management and re-invention of our educational system. There are perhaps less than 100 craft schools for the size of the country with about 170m people. The country must restore the closed craft schools and technical schools – and open up several more. Our History, Political Science, Social Science, Engineering  graduates could have simply settled for craft schools, gained good knowledge and thus own their own cottage factories generating good fortunes and compete favourably with those imported furniture items, for example, in the homes of our leaders. Countries such as Italy, Spain, and Brazil have developed cottage industries exporting manufactured items across the world. This has largely contained youth unemployment. Good foreign exchange inflow to a country is realized.
The Nigerian public is very hardworking and resourceful and will fully utilize infra-structures that will help provide human support especially now with the level of frustration of unemployment. The expected development of the nation will indeed be very well realized when citizens become truly engaged and live comfortably to become productive. The new governments should rise up to the challenge. 

Engineer Goni is CEO of Hexalix Properties, Abuja <[email protected]>