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OGUN : TOWARDS SOLVING UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES
OGUN : TOWARDS SOLVING UNEMPLOYMENT THROUGH INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES
By: Elijah Udofia
Governments, just like an individual or organizations, are faced with one challenge or the other and the methods of dealing with such challenges differs. Unemployment is one of the many challenges confronting even the most advanced economy of the world . In other words, unemployment is a phenomenon that affect all countries including the first world or advanced economies. No wonder Jane Addams, a Social Worker and a Reformer, said “of all aspects of social misery nothing is so heart breaking as unemployment”.
Nigeria, just like other third world countries has been battling with the problem of unemployment , especially since the post independence era, more than six decades ago. It is worthy of note that successive administrations both at the Federal and State levels have come up with various schemes aimed at finding solution to the problem.
During the military era of the the then General Ibrahim Babangida, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was introduced in 1986 and the agency was saddled with the responsibility of designing and expanding the opportunities and rights of Nigerians in all the states of the federation. It was meant to promote job creation, stimulate entrepreneurship and the skills of representatives of various industries. In a nutshell, NDE was established to solve Nigeria’s unemployment challenge.
Under democratic dispensation, President Good luck Jonathan came up with his own Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme SURE-P. Under this Programme was the Community Services Women and Youth Employment (CSWYE). The scheme was set up to provide temporary employment opportunities to the unemployed and unskilled women and youth.
President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, also set up the N-Power under the National Social Intervention Programme. The scheme with the theme “Empowering the Youths for Prosperity” is to tackle the issue of joblessness among youth as well as improve social development of young people in Nigeria.
Nigeria no doubt is one of the fastest growing economy in Africa or what is known as ” lion economy”. But unlike countries like Qatar, Cambodia or our neighbour Niger, with low unemployment rate, that of Nigeria, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, “Nigeria’s unemployment rate rised from 27.1 percent in the second quarter of 2020 to 33 percent in 2022”. This is an indication that rather than reducing, the rate is assuming an alarming rate.
Being a component part of Nigeria, Ogun State also share from the many challenges confronting the country including unemployment. Apart from being the Industrial hub and the religious capital of the nation, the State, is the education capital of the country with the highest number of post primary and higher institutions in Nigeria. These institutions on regular basis, turn out graduates into the already saturated unemployment market. Given this consideration, the State has a large number of graduates who are not gainfully engaged .
As the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Sharan Burrow, once said, “no country can afford to lose a generation to unemployment”, the Prince Dapo Abiodun led-government in Ogun State having realized that there is a relationship between unemployment and crime, made youth employment and empowerment one of its cardinal programmes as encapsulated in the ISEYA mantra viz: Infrastructure, Social welfare and wellbeing, Education, Youth Employment and Empowerment and Agriculture.
The Governor who is an ardent believer in the sayings that “an idle hand is the devil’s workshop ” came up with life transforming programmes that would translate into building a virile future not only for graduates but also for various job seekers in other spheres of human endeavor. At the inception of his administration, one of the steps taken was the opening of a job Portal where graduates and non graduates who are skilled in various trades register. The purpose of the programme, according to the Governor, was to ascertain the number of those who are jobless as well as those who are underemployed with a view to matching the qualified ones with the employers of labour as well as exposing them to the various investors besieging the State. With this approach, thousands of employment opportunities have been secured for teeming youths.
This aside, the State government also set up an Artisans Scheme, where people are trained in various skill acquisitions like tailoring, barbing, hair dressing, painting and paint making, among others. The interesting part of this scheme is that participants are paid stipends on monthly basis.
Similarly, the decision of the State government to convert one of the moribund model schools that dot the State’s landscape, to a TechHuB, was to make available a platform for Information Technology (IT) for the youths to showcase their talents .The hub also offer training opportunity to those who want to be well grounded on IT. The Centre has in the last few years trained hundreds of youths who are now employed in blue chip or multinational companies across the country.
The TechHuB, is one of the many plans government is putting in place to turn Ogun State to what the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Ibrahim Pantami said would be “Nigeria’s Silicon Valley” in the near future.
Another area which Ogun State has explored in generating employment to its teeming able bodied men and women is the education sector. Barely a year ago, a scheme tagged “Ogunteach” was introduced and the method was to engage qualified interns for a period of two years as class teachers in public primary and secondary schools. At the end of their internship, those who excel are absorbed into the system. Though It was meant to fill the existing teaching gap in the public schools, it is also a platform for “young teachers” to be well groomed in the chalk profession.
On how his administration came about the scheme, governor Abiodun said “sometimes around September last year, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, came to me with this brilliant idea. I immediately keyed into it and told him that it must be devoid of favouritism and that only the best should be encouraged”.
As at now, the scheme as so far provided employment to 2000 of the interns while additional 1,000 to 1,500 would be employed, according to the Governor.
It is pertinent to State that the employment scheme is multi- dimensional and exists in other sectors . For instance, in the agricultural sector, apart from the Federal Government’s Anchor Borrower’s Programme, which the State government has successfully keyed into, another scheme for would-be graduate agric- prenuers, known as FADAMA GUYS was also birthed with a view to widen the scope of engagement thereby boost food production. All these schemes are also geared towards solving the problem of unemployment especially in the agriculture sector.
Perhaps, the man at the helms of affairs in Ogun State, in the course of putting ideas together on how to bring the rate of unemployment to the barest minimum, must have come across the words of the former German Chancellor Gehard Schroeder who said, “any degree of unemployment worries me”. This has led to the interventions that are currently being used to address unemployment in the State.
From available data, Ogun State is definitely not the State with the highest rate of unemployment despite the fact that it is the education capital of the nation. With unemployment rate in the country projected to trend around 53 percent in 2022 and 51percent in 2023, according to Trading Economic, the current interventions, there seems to be no end in sight, but what is sure is that the various interventions by Ogun State government would go a long way in reducing unemployment to the barest in the coming years.
Dr. Abigail Adesina Olagbaye, CEO Desigo Tourism Development and Facility Management Company Ltd and founder, Sayari Dunia Sustainable Tourism Foundation, a seasoned tourism practitioner with 23 years of experience (out of which 21 years have been in Tourism), has announced her candidacy for President of the Association of Tourism Practitioners of Nigeria (ATPN), the oldest and premier tourism trade Association in Nigeria.
With a proven track record of driving innovation and sustainable growth, Dr. Olagbaye is poised to transform Nigeria’s tourism landscape.
” Her vision is to re-position ATPN as the leading voice for Nigeria’s tourism development,” Dr. Olagbaye stated. “I’m committed to empowering our members with the training, resources, and networking opportunities they need to excel in their careers and elevate industry standards.”
Dr. Olagbaye’s campaign focuses on five key objectives:
– Strengthening Industry Partnerships: Fostering collaborations and alliances that drive growth and development.
– Capacity Building: Providing training, resources and opportunities to enhance professionalism.
– Advocacy: Amplifying the voice of tourism practitioners in Nigeria and beyond.
– Tourism Promotion: Showcasing Nigeria’s hidden gems both domestically and internationally.
– Improved Member Benefits: Enhancing the overall experience for ATPN members.
Additional initiatives to consider include:
– Faith-based International Conference Tourism: Tapping into the MICE potential of faith-based tourism.
– Medical Tourism: Promoting Nigeria as a hub for medical excellence.
– Sports Tourism: Leveraging sports to drive tourism growth.
– Language Training: Enhancing language skills to improve tourist experiences.
– Youth Tourism: creating opportunities for youths to be actively engaged in Tourism leveraging their potentials, talents and energies and enabling them to benefit from the socio-economic opportunities that tourism offers.
– Agro Tourism: Develop agro-tourism as a sub-sector of Tourism through partnerships and collaboration with the ministry of agriculture to ensure regulatory support, international organisations for cross pollination of ideas and knowledge transfer and capacity building, encourage our members to organise more farm stays, rural tours, food tourism events for more authentic experiences. Advocate for infrastructural development for rural roads and other amenities. Collaborate with locals for sustainability and inclusion.
To further enhance Nigeria’s tourism industry, Dr. Olagbaye plans to create robust social media platforms for the association. This will enable people at home and abroad to access tourism companies in Nigeria with international standard websites and social media focusing on major sites.Social media being an essential tool for promoting tourism.
As the pioneer of initiatives like Africa Tourism Climate Action Forum ATCAF and Africa Tourism Day, a nouveaux initiative in Africa which she started in 2020 in collaboration with the African Tourism Board, now in its 5th edition, Dr. Olagbaye has demonstrated her passion for sustainable tourism practices and her ability to drive meaningful change. “I invite fellow tourism practitioners to join me in transforming Nigeria’s tourism landscape,” she concluded.
Get in touch with Dr. Abigail Olagbaye:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +2349122525250
Social Media: @abbieolagbaye
@abigailolagbaye
@Dr. Abigail Olagbaye
(Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn)
*Campaign Slogan:* “Transforming Tourism, Empowering Practitioners”.
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The Next Chapter of Amen City: Sade Balogun talks about TIARA Estates & Amen Phase 3 in Lagos, Nigeria
In a move that underscores her commitment to excellence, Sade Balogun, the mastermind behind Redbrick Homes International Limited and Amen City Ltd, has introduced TIARA Estates and Amen Estate Phase 3, expanding the renowned Amen City in a big way!
Situated in the picturesque Ibeju-Lekki area, Amen City has become synonymous with luxury and elegance. The launch of TIARA and TIARA 2.0 by Amen City Ltd soon after Amen Estate Phase 3 is set to elevate this community to new heights.
With its refined homes and superior amenities, the TIARA series embodies royalty and opulence. Amen Phase 3 enhances the living experience with modern architecture and top-tier facilities.
A nearby hospital at Amen Estate Phase 2 offers swift healthcare access, contributing to residents’ peace of mind. This proximity to medical facilities is especially important in emergencies, ensuring that help is always close by.
A large supermarket within the estate provides convenience for everyday shopping, eliminating the need for long trips to distant markets. The presence of excellent schools nearby ensures quality education for children, making it an ideal location for families. The coastal road that reduces travel time to Victoria Island to under 40 minutes makes Amen City a practical choice for professionals who need to commute to the city.
The estate 24-hour light supply from a dedicated turbine engine ensures uninterrupted power, which is a significant benefit for those seeking reliable energy solutions.
Sade Balogun’s innovative vision has transformed Amen City into a model of luxury living and community development. This expansion marks another milestone in her illustrious career, reinforcing Amen City’s status as a premier investment destination. With her ability to foresee market trends and deliver projects that exceed expectations, Sade Balogun continues to set new standards in Nigerian real estate.
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