Unemployment
issues have grown severe as the global economic recession that began in the
last decade endures. Around the world there are discussions on how to mitigate
the problem, but many countries still struggle to reduce the number of people
idled by economic forces. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is not
exempt from this lot.
Hundreds
of thousands of Nigerians are either unemployed or employed in a job that is
below their academic qualification. In addition, thousands more freshly
graduate from tertiary institutions each year. They flood the labour market in
search of the few available opportunities, and may become vulnerable to
negative vices in the face of persistent idleness.
However,
some government leaders and many non-governmental organisations are combining
efforts to reduce the rate of unemployment in Nigerian society. Perhaps the
intervention of such timely initiatives will help cushion the effects of
unemployment and population explosion in the next decade.
One
such initiative is the Lagos Ignite Project, a collaborative effort between the
Lagos State government and the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre (AGDC).
While the project is usually co-sponsored by various corporate organisations,
the Lagos State government remains its highest sponsor. Every year, AGDC
assembles thousands of Nigerian youth at a Youth Stakeholders’ Forum to discuss
and proffer realistic solutions to issues affecting them. The overall aim of
the meeting is to create a platform of empowerment for the future leaders of
Nigeria and the young stakeholders of Lagos State.
Apart
from the thought-provoking lectures and self-help texts offered at the forum,
Nigerian youth get an opportunity to exchange information with the Executive Governor
of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola.
During
the question and answer session Governor Fashola decried the indiscriminate
importation of the Keke Marwa motorized tricycles and Okada motorcycles that
are mainstays of public transportation in Lagos, saying, “There is no legacy we
can leave from it.” He
suggested the resurrection of the railway system as a means of interstate
transportation of goods, and encouraged the use of our mother tongue and the
projection of our local dialect into foreign cultures.
The
primary promoters of the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, Mrs Detoun
Ogwo, Mrs Ibukun Awosika and Mrs Funmi Adeyemi, also attended the event. Mrs
Awosika presented the latest graduates of the AGDC programme to the audience
and encouraged more youths to enrol for one of their highly competitive
courses.
“We
will always fulfil the promises we commit ourselves to,” Mrs Awosika said,
assuring prospective students that the programme is made absolutely
tuition-free courtesy of various sponsors.
In
closing the event, another AGDC promoter, Mrs Adeyemi, charged participants of
the AGDC programme to “be the light in the midst of darkness.”
First Published at Commonwealth correspondence website
