The Federal Government, weekend, was advised to quickly
tackle the rising rate of unemployment in the country as its rate was estimated
to be around 40 per cent of the entire population.
The immediate past World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Mrs.
Oby Ezekwesili, who gave the advice also said: “I am one of those Nigerians who
are praying for Nigeria oil to dry up so that our government can quickly take
immediate actions towards diversifying the nation’s source of revenue.
Alternative to oil should emerge immediately to cure the oil
politics in our nation.”
Speaking as a guest speaker at the 16th Success Digest Enterprises
Awards Presentation Dinner, weekend, in Lagos, the former World Bank’s
Vice President and also a recently appointed member to the Board of Directors
of Bharti Airtel in Africa, said: “Nigeria ruins its opportunities to
grow economically with the likes of Singapore, Malaysia etc that had their independence
almost the same period with our country, simply because Nigeria lacked the
instrumentality of entrepreneurship of the public sector which had helped
its contemporaries to grow tremendously.”
She further advised that a census on unemployment should be
carried out, saying: “The problem of unemployment requires a more aggressive
method or identity towards addressing it, than what is currently being done. I
acknowledge that the government from the blue print is demonstrating an effort
to addressing it. The effort should be enhanced considering the havoc
unemployment is creating in this country.
Census on unemployment
“Government at whatever level should be responsible for addressing
this and create jobs. Half of our population is youth within the ages of 18 and
32, but about 40 per cent of our population is unemployed. There is an
average of two million new unemployed youth every year joining the existing
stock year by year. I suggest that a census of unemployed youth be done in
Nigeria immediately.”
While speaking on the topic entitled: “Nurturing an
entrepreneurial mindset” Ezekwesili said: “Government has a
responsibility to the people by providing necessary and adequate infrastructure
needed to boost the economy. Taxation and other levies should not be a
hindrance to business if government is able to provide every amenity needed by
entrepreneurs as it is in the United States that is regarded as father of
capitalism.
“Public sector has responsibility for describing the direction and
vision it wants the economy to go. Public sector requires quality leadership to
build good nation. For a new Nigeria to emerge, we need a public sector
that has entrepreneurial mindset that should be able to spur the private sector
towards achieving economic growth. Our governments have underperformed over
several decades as the country has been driven with people with deficit of
integrity, lack of confidence, lack of competence and above all lack of
structural innovation ability.”
Ezekwesili also advocated that skilled and well diagnostic
programme of entrepreneur be developed and decentralized throughout the
community within Nigeria as part of the ways towards reducing the alarming rate
of unemployment.