Ekiti Youths Urge FG to Create more Jobs

Youths in Ikole Ekiti in Ikole Local Government area of Ekiti, on Thursday, appealed to the Federal Government to create more jobs for unemployed youths in the country.

Some of the youth, who spoke with Newsmen in Ikole Ekiti, said that most of the available jobs had been politicised by those in positions of authority, thus creating problems for qualified youths to get engaged.

They lamented that most of the empowerment programmes, being organised by the state and local governments, could not sustain those of them who were graduates, particularly with the current rate of inflation.

Busuyi Ajayi, a graduate of University of Ibadan (UI), said it was unfortunate that most of the youth had been engaging in fraudulent activities, owing to high rate of unemployment.

Ajayi urged the federal government to give priority to the development of youths rather than concentrating on the promotion of public office holders.

“ I want to urge the federal government to consider the plight of youths, most of whom are graduates.

“The time has come for governments at all levels to create jobs, rather than merely organising empowerment programmes that cannot the youth to anywhere,’’ he said.

Another youth, Bode Ogunsakin, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, said it was gradually becoming a menace for youths to finish from the university, after spending, at least, four years and still be suffering to get good jobs.

Ogunsakin called for the enactment of laws that would cater for the youths, after they might have finished their education in various tertiary institutions of learning.

Bukola Olugboyega, a graduate of Ekiti State University (EKSU), said that getting good jobs had become extremely difficult for youths in Nigeria.

She urged the federal government to create jobs as well as empowerment programmes for youths, some of whom, she said, loved to engage in skills acquisition.

Another youth, Modupe Adeyanju, a graduate of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba-Akoko, said aside from the empowerment programmes being organised for youths, jobs should be provided for them.

Adeyanju, who said that she had graduated from the university for the past five years, studying Economics, added that when she could not get a job, she had to start selling baby clothes to fend for herself.

“I graduated five years ago. I tried as much as possible to get government job but when I couldn’t get any, I decided to start a business, with the help of my parents.

“But, for those who do not have rich parents to assist them, government jobs are the only option for them.

“ In other African countries, such as Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, governments provide jobs for the youth, especially the graduates, because they so much believe in their knowledge and intelligence,’’ she said.

Adeyanju appealed to government to give priority to the future of the Nigerian youth by providing jobs that could sustain them.

According to her, it is only when the youth are not gainfully employed that they think of engaging in criminal activities, such as fraud, rituals, kidnapping and armed robbery, all in a bid to survive.