20,000 graduates programme must be diligently implemented

Last week, the federal government came up with yet another scheme to improve the lives of the teeming unemployed youths in the country. This time, it is a job fellowship programme for 20,000 post-National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) graduates annually.

The initiative, called Nigeria Jubilee Fellow Programme (NJFP) which will be implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), seeks to link up talented graduates with job opportunities that utilize their expertise while training them to acquire practical knowledge and relevant skills through mentorship in various industries around the country.

According to President Muhammadu Buhari, “Beyond the skills and work experience, we will be building a new culture of mentorship and guidance that can chart a new course for skills development and work experience in our country.’’

Although this initiative is no doubt a positive development aimed at tackling the disturbing trend of unemployment in the country, Nigerians by and large received the news with scepticism.

This is because of experiences in the past where similar initiatives launched with much fanfare and expectation ended up a disappointment. It would be recalled that this same government promised to recruit 10,000 policemen annually. To date, it is yet to achieve that. In fact the haphazard nature in which it kicked off caused the matter to end up in court.  There is also the N-power, in which a certain group of Nigerians are hired and paid a stipend of N30,000  monthly. That scheme has been mired in controversies. While some people received the money, some claimed they were engaged but never paid. Also, there was no well-thought-out exit plan for the beneficiaries. Therefore, at the end of the scheme, many of them returned to join the multitude in the unemployment market.

There was also the recruitment of 774,000 youths across the country which became a battle between the lawmakers on one hand and the Ministry of Labour and the National Directorate of Employment on the other, with each party struggling to take ownership of the scheme.

With all of these, one can understand why Nigerians do not appear too excited over this latest news as they do not want to get their hopes up and get them dashed again. Indeed it is regrettable that the issue of job opportunities for teeming young unemployed Nigerians has become a matter of pain and uncertainty. In the country today, Nigerians do not have equal opportunities for jobs. While the juicy ministries and agencies are reserved for the children of the wealthy and politicians, there are reports that many others have to source huge sums of money to buy jobs. In light of this, Nigerians are looking for any ray of hope for jobs, which is why this new venture must succeed.

There is a need for government to demonstrate that this is not another ‘political’ scheme. It must be diligently implemented.  And while these graduates are engaged, they should be properly mentored so that they will have exit plans that will enable them to succeed on their own at the end of the scheme. We also urge the UNDP to use its expertise in programme monitoring to ensure the successful implementation of the policy.

The NJFP from all indications is a programme that if properly handled will definitely result in beneficial outcomes for the country in several ways. It would provide employment opportunities for the teeming Nigerian graduates and help them acquire the necessary skills to become employers themselves. It would also lay the foundation for the development of a training and mentoring culture among young Nigerians, thereby helping to instil the culture of self-sufficiency and independence.

Therefore, government must ensure that this programme does not go the way of others in the past. It should ensure transparency and due diligence in the implementation. The government must not give room for it to be hijacked by interests that will use it for selfish end. The entire process must be according to the set rules.

It must also be structured to ensure continuity so that it survives beyond this administration. This will entail working with the National Assembly for the necessary legislation to back its activities. The rate of unemployment in the country is indeed a ticking time bomb and everything necessary must be done to address it.