Nigeria’s unemployment rate, stimulus for skill acquisition schemes

As latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) spell out the grim reality of the unemployment situation in Nigeria, it is hoped that efforts will be intensified by relevant government agencies to drive and sustain policy programmes, capable of stemming the myriad of problems associated with it. Joy Ekeke writes….

It is indeed not cheering news for Nigeria right now, as latest statistics from NBS indicate that unemployment rate in Nigeria is spiralling out of control to nearly two digits, snowballing from 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2015 to 9.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2015, a figure that stood at 7.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year.

This means that the number of unemployed persons in the labour force increased 1, 454,620 during the third quarter. According to the document on Job creation which is also available from the NBS 427,000 new jobs were created within this period.

However, the report indicates that the new jobs created were inadequate to match the over 1.9 million new entrants into the labour market within the period.

Further analysis of the labour productivity summary shows that there were a total of 20.7 million persons in the labour force that were either unemployed or underemployed compared to 19.6 million in Q2 2015, and 17.7 million in Q1 2015.

Skill Acquisition Training

In the third quarter, the labour force population increased to 75.9 million from 74.0 million in Q2 2015, representing 2.6 per cent increase in the labour force.

A number of analysts have attributed the cause of unemployment in the country to factors including the security situation in the north-east which has given rise to the displacement of a large number of the working population and the lack of requisite skills by many unemployed persons further making them unsuitable for available jobs.

It could also be said that over the years, lack of requisite technical skills has led to massive job exports, especially in areas of engineering, and other highly skilled professions notably in the industrial sector.

Sustainability of the ITF initiative

In a fresh bid to closing the unemployment gap in Nigeria, the Federal Government said it will take skills acquisition and development to the interior and rural areas of the country.

The government also pledged to ensure that training and development opportunities are provided to internally displaced persons in their various communities across the country, using its most relevant agency, the Industrial Trust Fund (ITF).

Speaking when the Industrial Training Fund, (ITF) commissioned the mobile training units/truck, alongside the unveiling of training programmes for internally displaced persons, (IDPs) in Abuja, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, said the Federal Government will work through the ITF to achieve its job creation and youth empowerment programmes.

According to the minister, President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that all internally displaced persons be returned to their communities next year will receive greater impetus and will be successfully executed, given the fact that the mobile training units acquired and commissioned by the ITF is capable of penetrating all the nooks and crannies of the country.

The minister said with the mobile training units capable of providing skills acquisition in various trade areas, that it was only a matter of time before all the internally displaced persons start rebuilding lives with skills acquired, thereby contributing to the growth of the nation’s economy.

According to her, what the ITF has done by the acquisition, commissioning of the mobile training units, and flag off of training programmes for the IDPs in the country was fully in line with the vision of the Federal Government and that of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has consistently stated his administration’s commitment to the creation of jobs in millions for the nation’s youths.

Lauding the leadership of the Fund for the initiative, she added that the move by the ITF will also create entrepreneurs, and sustainably empower women and youths who are the major victims of conflicts and internal disputes.

Speaking in the same vein, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry, Trade and Investments, Hon. Abubakar Moriki, said the choice of the IDPs in the flag off of the mobile training units by ITF is the right step in the right direction, because the majority of the affected people are mostly farmers who do not have the needed skills to survive in their new environment.

“It is gratifying to note that ITF is already taking the initiative to address the plight of these internally displaced Nigerians by empowering them with requisite skills and knowledge which will enable them earn a decent living. This gesture is not only commendable, but is consistent with the core mandate of the Fund”, Moriki said.

He said as partners in progress that the House Committee on Industry Trade and Investment will do all within its constitutional powers to give necessary support to ITF in achieving its mandate.

According to the Director General/Chief Executive of the ITF, Dr. Mrs. Juliet Chukkas Onaeko, ITF has been positioned to become the foremost skills training development organization in Nigeria and around the world.

She said the fund will continue to promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the private and public sectors of the economy.

According to her, ITF will soon commence the Brain Gain Initiative where Nigerian experts and professionals from around the world will provide skills acquisition, mentoring and entrepreneurial knowledge for Nigerian youths at no cost.

The initiative is expected to save the Federal Government about N180 billion annually and hopefully checkmate the menace of unemployment which includes youth restiveness and crime among others.

The long-term impact of these well thought-out initiatives of the ITF will be felt in the economy provided that they are sustained beyond mere rhetoric and solve the country’s unemployment rate, which if anything, is quite gloomy as it stands.