Unemployment: NYSC members urge more FG funding of corps’ skills acquisition programme

Two National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in Ebonyi on Monday in Abakaliki called on the Federal Government to properly fund the skills acquisition component of the scheme to reduce graduate unemployment.

Mr Chris Enang and Miss Carol Udenta told our reporter that the introduction of skills acquisition programme to train corps members in camp was a great innovation but called on government to properly fund the initiative to achieve better result.

According to them, the component, if properly funded, will end graduate unemployment and reduce the number of those seeking for white collar jobs at the end of the service year.

“The truth is that the country’s economy is in a very bad state with the rate of youths and graduates unemployment soaring by the day.

“Those who have jobs they are doing are being laid off every day, compounding the unemployment problem in the country.

“Skills acquisition programme introduced by the FG into the curriculum of the NYSC is very welcome development because it will help to ease the rate of unemployment and job search by graduates who passed out from the scheme.

“Our advice to the government and handlers of the NYSC programme is to show more commitment and invest adequate fund into the skills acquisition component, “they said.

Enang a graduate of Sociology and Anthropology, said that small and medium enterprises were key to industrial and economic growth and development, stressing that empowering graduates of tertiary institutions would assist Nigeria in solving high rate of unemployment.

He suggested granting of interest free loans to corps members who passed through the skills acquisition training to enable them to establish small skill enterprises.

“If government is truly serious about fighting unemployment, it should partner the NYSC by ensuring that those who excel in the skill acquisition programme are given interest free loans to set up their businesses.

“The beneficiaries will be allowed to use their service year to grow the business which they will establish in accordance with their areas of specialty in skills acquisition.

“Just as the officials monitor corps members serving in government and private establishments, so also will those given loans to open up private enterprises will be monitored throughout the service year,” Enang said.

He said governments at all levels must come up with sustainable policies and strategies to eliminate the plague of unemployment in the country.

Udenta said that with thousands of graduates passing out of the service yearly, it would be difficult for governments and corporate organizations to accommodate all unemployed graduates.

She said it was the duty of government to its citizens to provide job or create an enabling environment that would enhance the development of their potentials.

“Most Nigerian youths live in a period of uncertainty, hopelessness and despair. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide job and good living conditions for her citizens.

“The introduction of skills acquisition by government is a great milestone to ensure that graduates are equipped with necessary skills to confront live and develop their God given potentials.

“The truth is that there is a lot graduates of tertiary institutions can do outside of white collar jobs but they need to be encouraged by providing them with grants to establish small scale businesses, ” Udenta said.

She noted that the current insecurity challenges facing the country was directly linked to massive youths and graduate unemployment.

Udenta, a law graduate, explained that over 90 per cent of crimes and criminal activities were perpetrated by youths.