Nigeria Youth Empowerment and Development Drive

There is no better time to discuss the issue of youth empowerment and development drive other than now, when the youths are faced with so much backbreaking and unprecedented challenges, including called “LAZY”. Nigeria, as one of the developing countries of the world, is struggling with numerous problems at each level of her education system, inability to halt continuous increase in the rate of youth unemployment, redundant artificial restrictions placed on self-employment, job creation opportunities and outright lack of social services such as roads, water systems, and electricity networks. For Nigeria to secure her future prosperity, the governments must renew efforts at creating massive jobs by aggressively embarking on empowerment and development programs in agriculture & agro-allied, manufacturing, information technology, and telecommunications.

HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS TO SECURE NIGERIANS PROSPERITY THROUGH YOUTH EMPOWERMENT.

1. Improved Skills and Training; Several approaches have been suggested as panaceas to end youth unemployment and this has been identified as one of the most practical. Employers play a central role when it comes to improving young people’s access to the labor market, and it is vital that organizations bring in young people if they are to build the skills they need for future success. Thus, improved skills and training are important. This would also serve as an opportunity for unemployed youth to become self-employed.

2. Employment Services; Employment services include job placement, search assistance and access to labor market information. These services are offered by some public and private agencies. They assist job seekers in achieving their long term goal of employment in the open labor market and ensure employers get loyal staff perfectly suited to their needs. In so doing, the requirement of the employers alongside the vacant positions is made available to job seekers through the print and electronic media or online.

3. Provision of Infrastructural Facilities

Infrastructural facilities that will improve the socio-economic life of the people are grossly inadequate. Bad road networks, power outage, dilapidated bridges, inadequate water supply, poor health care systems are commonplace. For example, if the Power is supplied for a larger about of time every day this would encourage youths in Nigeria to take up freelance jobs and the effect of which would reduce unemployment rates in Nigeria.

4. Leadership Training; Bad leadership has been an all-time factor affecting development in Nigeria, which implies that no significant development can occur with bad leaders at the helm of affairs. To change the trend, the youth must be given training in leadership. Future leaders must be prepared for the complexities of political and administrative duties. The government should organize leadership seminars covering youth in both urban and rural areas, encourage foundations by providing financial support and also fixing leadership seminars compulsorily into secondary and university academic calendar.

In Conclusion, Widespread youth unemployment and low development rate necessitate an urgent and holistic intervention to reverse the status quo without which the future remains uncertain. These suggestions by Pure Heart Foundation are steps to be taken to secure the nation’s future prosperity. The success or otherwise of these strategies largely depends on the concerted efforts of all stakeholders. Therefore, Nigeria’s future is in our hands!