Youth ‎Unemployment, a looming danger in Nigeria – Aremu

The spate of youth restiveness‎ and current level of crime rates according to labour leader, Comrade Abiodun Aremu can only be attributed to a frustrated youth population where unemployment has taken a huge toll on the means of livelihood.

Recently, the unemployment report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed the alarming rate of increase for the unemployed and under employed‎.

“12.3 per cent of males were unemployed, while 17.9 per cent of males in the labour force were under-employed‎.”

Speaking with Daily Times, the Secretary Joint Action Front (JAF) said “The implications are grave in all ramifications for an economy anchored on private greed.”

Comrade Aremu, noted that the situation will encourage underproduction, social and general state of insecurity, poor standard of living and high costs of survival, as well as a surge in rate of crimes, violence and social disorder.

He added that ‎such an economy will remain unproductive with the tendency for perennial economic and political crises and permanent state of backwardness and underdevelopment.

“The way out is a people-oriented economic agenda that is anchored on collective ownership and management of the production and distribution processes with focus towards massive productive activities and creation of collective wealth, that will be judiciously utilised to provide living income and pensions, social welfare services, free education and free functional healthcare to all,” Aremu said.

He urged government to ensure equitable access to, and affordability of basic infrastructures (water, electricity, telephone services, etc), and public investment on roads and rails to boost further productive activities.‎

Recall that data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose to 14.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, from 13.9 percent in Q3.

The report stated that the national unemployment rate was slightly up from 13.9% in Q3, 13.3% in Q2, 12.1percent in Q1 2016, and 10.4percent in Q4 2015.

The report further stated that, a total of 28.58 million persons in the Nigerian labour force in Q4 2016, are either unemployed or underemployed compared to 27.12 million in Q3, 26.06 million in Q2 and 24.5 million in Q1 2016,” the report stated.

According to NBS, 16.3 per cent of women in the labour force were unemployed, and a further 24.2 per cent of women in the labour force were under-employed.