Even though a sizable number of ”pressmen” as government
officials always say, are on the payroll of the ruling party in Nigeria
today, that does not distract professionally resolute Journalists from
outlining the chamelionic nature of governance.
Failure is a recurrent feature, when the people’s voices are ignored
and the imposition of the desires of a few occupys the front page.
Politicians have over the years groomed army of youths to promote
their interests. Majority of these youths do not necessarily possess the
basic qualification-Senior Secondary School Certificate(SSCE) to make
any meaningful impact in life.
To fill the vacuum, politicians console these category of youths with
limitless supply of outlawed substances and alcohol, so long as the
youths do their bidding.
The unemployment rate in Nigeria is at an all time high, with
unemployable graduates constituting a significant number of the
unemployed.
Of worry is the fact that most Primary, Secondary and tertiary
institutions of learning are ill equipped and have on their pay rolls,
poorly motivated manpower to impart the required knowledge. State
Governments now employ graduates to positions originally meant for
unskilled labour, as political patronage and nepotism determines who
gets what.
Professionalism no longer exists in the civil service of most
states, as workers continue to redefine their positions to reflect the
survival of the fittest ideology currently in vogue.
It is on record and it is already a reference point that the All
Progressives Congress(APC), the ruling party had its first progressive
governance lecture series on 24 February, 2014, in Ibadan, Nigeria.
At the lecture series, Ayo Teriba, Chief Executive Officer, Economic
Associates, delivered a lecture titled ”NIGERIA’s HIGH GROWTH-HIGH
UNEMPLOYMENT PARADOX”.
Treiba had said, ”As Nigeria’s growth surged in the past one and a
half decades, unemployment rate has increased three fold. Elected
officials have been unable to translate growth to increased employment,
largely because they have left the task of fiscal and monetary policy
management growth, constrained domestic demand and worsened the
employment rate. To make democratic governance a tool for delivering
economic tangible and enduring economic benefits in the future, Nigeria
needs to make monthly employment data available before the end of each
month, fix rail transportation, rethink fiscal policy, refocus monetary
policy and ensure that elected officials accept responsibility for
policy formulation and coordination”.
However, the future is here and it is doubtful if Teriba’s recommendation are being followed.
Interestingly, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Governor of Imo state and
Chairman, Progressives Governors Forum has lamented ”the current
unemployment situation in Nigeria is unacceptable and is a danger to the
social, economic and political stability of Nigeria. It also impacts
negatively on our ambitions as a country, afterall, how can Nigeria,
with over 20 million youths who have no jobs and millions of others
wasting away claim that we want to be a major power in the comity of
nations ?
That claim would be laughable if not tragic-tragic because we come
across as refusing to empower the youths on whose shoulders will rest
the task of taking Nigeria to the next level. We can no longer remain
insensitive to issues around unemployment and crises of governance in
Nigeria”.
Will the Presidnet Muhammadu Buhari led administration reverse the
current trend of economic and other sectoral challenges ? Nigerians are
already taking note and stock of the activities of the present
administration for future reference.
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