The need for youths to be gainfully employed is taking the centre stage of dialogues and conversations by a cross section of Nigerian youths.
Some youths who spoke to our reporter during a survey in Abuja expressed their concern on how the menace of hunger and frustration over long term unemployment could push many into criminality.
They also worry that if the issues are not addressed, the increased hunger and frustration would set in and create more challenges for the society.
Sunday Egbo, a budding entrepreneur identified unemployment as what leads youths to all form of criminal activities.
He stressed that many youths without reliable work have the spare time to engage themselves in criminal activities, to gain cheap money.
“Youth that do not have any reliable jobs to do have turned into hardened criminals, kidnappers, political thugs, hired assassins and lots of immoral and inhuman activities for some little money which put the country into a high level of insecurity”.
“Unemployment can lead youth to go do and what is not supposed to do. Because a hungry man is an angry man if you don’t have money to survive you may be frustrated,” he said.
Mr Sunday further called on youths to be entrepreneurial. Engage themselves in any trade as every trade is profitable depending on how much effort is put in it.
Another entrepreneur based in Abuja, Mr Ifeanyi noted that government also contributes to the high level of youth restiveness in the country.
He said government’s inability to provide jobs for the teaming population of graduates also increases the level of criminal activities
“Some youth are well qualified and educated, but are unemployed. To get a job in the country, you have to lobby for it,” he lamented.
Ifeanyi therefore advised that the government put more efforts to redefine companies like the Ajaokuta refinery, sugar factories and so on to open up more opportunities for youths.
