J0MUN XIII JoMUN XIII Forum: Issue: Student Officer: Position: Advisory Panel Addressing the issue of widespread unemployment, especially among youths Tomini Fashina President INTRODUCTION Widespread unemployment or underemployment, particularly present amongst Nigerian youth is a prominent obstruction to socioeconomic development in the nation. Acknowledging the fact that youth unemployment is a global issue that is prevalent in all regions, in agreement with the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations, there is a pressing need to address that which is seen in Nigeria the largest economy in Africa. "A decent and productive job [not only] contributes to attaining fundamental individual and family well- being, but also spills over, contributing to society's broader objectives, such as poverty reduction, economy- wide productivity growth and social cohesion," said Diego Rei, the International Labour Organization's Senior Regional Adviser on youth employment in Africa. Nigeria s population is said to have reached 167 million in 2012 (National Bureau of Statistics). Approximately 40% of the country s population is considered a youth. However, there is a positive correlation between the youth population and the unemployment rate, resulting in both factors increasing. Thereafter, additional factors acting as obstacles to youth employment opportunities are: lack of job creation, lack of access to quality education, little opportunities for apprenticeships or internships in order to gain experience, lack of innovation (entrepreneurship), unrealistic wage expectations on the part of youth, discrimination (i.e. negative attitudes towards inexperienced young workers), economic instability resulting in retrenchment and most distinctively, a mismatch between youth qualifications and market demands. KEY TERMS Unemployment the number and proportion of people without a paid job but available to work. Unemployment rate a measure of the occurrence of unemployment nation- wide. It is calculated as a percentage through the division of the number of unemployed individuals by all individuals active in the labour force. Youth described as the period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood s independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community. Though a fluid categorisation, age is a method used to define this group, specifically in relation to education and employment. Therefore, youths refer to people between the age where they may leave compulsory education and the age at which they find their first employment. The latter age limit has increased over the years as higher levels of unemployment and the cost of establishing an independent household places many youths into a period of prolonged dependency. (UN.org) Job security an all- inclusive condition in which citizens live in freedom, peace and safety.
BACKGROUND There is widespread youth unemployment in Nigeria, like many Sub- Saharan African countries. In saying that, there are several factors that can be blamed for the increasing occurrence of youth unemployment in the country. One being the fact that Nigeria has a high population growth rate which is a further detriment to the already large national population of over 167 million people. Additionally, the poor school curricula and inefficient teacher training add fuel to the fire of failing educational institutions. Therefore, students are unable to be provided with the necessary skills to make them employable. In fact, some experts suggest that the major jump in youth unemployment in 2011 could be due to the mass failure in national examinations conducted among graduating secondary school students, which made many of them unemployable in 2011. Furthermore, there is a lack of demanding industries to absorb competent graduates. This challenge was partly caused by an infrastructural deficit and a debilitating structural adjustment program (SAP) implemented by Nigeria in the 1980s, which led to the closure of many industries and from which the country has not yet recovered. It is also well- known that the youth unemployment situation has been aggravated by flawed and inconsistent public policies on employment. KEY ISSUES Inequality of Income: Being a notable effect of unemployment in Nigeria, the inequality of income results in the 20% of the country s wealth, owned by the population, being concentrated in the hands of few wealthy individuals. As this occurs many are in extreme poverty. Therefore, the prevalence of widespread unemployment leads to the propagation of cycles of poverty. As a result, the inequality of income, hand in hand with poverty and unemployment has led to the increase in violent crimes in Nigeria. Decline in Quality of Life: Another effect of widespread unemployment, the decrease in the standards of living across the Nigerian nation results in a decline in numerous other necessities, such as access to shelter, education, health care and nutrition. Therefore the prevalence of widespread unemployment, especially amongst youths, simply works to strengthen poverty cycles and leads to an ultimate reduction in average life expectation. Boko Haram: The prevalence of unemployment, especially in rural areas, almost always leads to increased poverty. This notable increase duly gives rise to a myriad of socioeconomic issues such as increased incidence of corruption, decline in standards of living and increased acts of violence. However, a significant effect been observed within Nigeria is the increase of acts of terrorism. The increase in the activities of the terrorist organisation, Boko Haram, is positively correlated to widespread unemployment. Seen specifically in areas in the North- West and North- East of Nigeria, increased terrorism resulted in the closure of schools, catalysing the furtherance of socioeconomic problems within the nation. Job Insecurity: Job security allows for citizens to be able to participate in the process of governance, enjoy the protection of fundamental rights, have access to the basic necessities of life and inhibit an environment which is not detrimental to their health and wellbeing. In saying that, the lack of job security resulting from the presence of widespread
unemployment deprives Nigerian citizens from general opportunities, making them exclusive to wealthy individuals. Thereafter, the unemployment present in Nigeria is group into two categories; the older unemployed who have lost their jobs through retrenchment, redundancy, or bankruptcy and the younger unemployed, most who have never been employed. MAJOR PARTIES INVOLVED United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): UNESCO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. In 1945, it was established in order to maintain peace through other means that political and economic agreements. Therefore, it redirected the UN s focus to sustaining peace through education, science and culture. It believes that peace must be established on the basis of humanity s moral and intellectual solidarity (Unesco.org). In saying this, this organisation is an active participant in the fight against widespread unemployment, all over Africa, but specifically in Nigeria, in order to ensure peace and promote sustainable development. International Labour Organisation (ILO): The ILO was established in 1919, in the aftermath of the destructive World War I, to pursue a set of objectives based on the ideology that universal, lasting peace can only be achieve on the basis of social justice. Thereafter, it became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946. The key purpose of the ILO is to promote rights at work, encourage various employment opportunities and also to enhance social protection and fortify dialogue on work- related issues. PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE The widespread unemployment being witnessed in Nigeria is one of the most pressing problems being faced by the country. The years of corruption, civil war, military rule, and mismanagement have crippled the general economic growth of the nation. The country, however, possesses an abundance of diverse resources, both human and material. Although, it was the decades of negligence and detrimental policies that has led to the under- utilisation or misuse of these structures, therefore maximum economic benefits could not be yielded. Recently, however, in 2010, after various suggestive techniques from experts, the Nigeria government, in order to reduce unemployment in the country, set out to establish: - Sports schools, evening clubs that teach kids to play football, swim, etc. - Computer training schools and clubs that specializes in teaching programming software such as Java, Oracle, ASP, Cold fusion, JSP, digital photography, and video editing, etc. - Language schools teaching foreign languages like French, Spanish, and Chinese. - Setting up of provisional work agencies, which provides temporary staff to small companies - People with good web and programming skills can establish the following projects in order to deal with the problems of unemployment - program unique JAVA based applications to be used in 3G phones, a project to structure a complete phone directory of all Nigerian phone numbers, online map project of major Nigerian cities, and project, which can provide sufficient information about everything in Nigeria. - Other projects such as building solar powered water pump for use in rural areas, solar powered streetlights, hybrid powered generators using solar and battery power, can also generate employment in the Nigerian economy. (Economywatch.com) -
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS The reform and modernisation of the education system implemented within Nigeria is needed, such that the matriculating and/or graduating populace are well- informed and encouraged to pursue higher education. In addition, they should be exposed to the various sectors of employment through the inclusion of practical assignments, tasks and activities in all their subjects, the introduction of informative discussions on university selection and career guidance and lastly, the concentration on the study of Nigeria s business language (English) in order to improve communication and prevent misinterpretation. The provision by the Nigerian government, of education and/or training facilities for members of the unemployed Nigerian youth to in order to extend the conventional limitations of formal education and allow unemployed youth the acquire the relevant skills adequate enough to attain basic employment. This works to empower youth who were previously exempted from educational opportunities and in turn, supply additional jobs for qualified educators. The encouragement of the youth to pursue jobs in specific fields that meet the demands of the economic market, allowing the achievement of sustainable development in the agricultural, technological, security, sociology industries. Encouraging the involvement of established African administrations, present in Nigeria, to invest in the youth populace by providing them with additional opportunities to assist in the job selection and preparation process through apprenticeships, internships and job shadowing programs. WORKS CITED "Definition of Youth." United Nations Youth. n.d.: 1-3. UN.org. UNDESA. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. <http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact- sheets/youth- definition.pdf>. "What Do We Mean by Youth?" UNESCO. UN, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http%3a%2f%2fwww.unesco.org%2fnew%2fen%2fsocial- and- human- sciences%2fthemes%2fyouth%2fyouth- definition%2f>. Akande, Tunji. "Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: A Situation Analysis." Africa in Focus. N.p., 24 Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2015. <http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa- in- focus/posts/2014/09/23- youth- unemployment- nigeria- akande>. Katagum, Mariam Y., H.E Mrs. "Nigeria." UNESCO. UN, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http%3a%2f%2fwww.unesco.org%2fnew%2fen%2funesco%2fworldwide%2fafrica%2fnigeria%2f>. Uddin, P. S.O, and Osemengbe O. Uddin. "Causes, Effects and Solutions to Youth Unemployment Problems in Nigeria." (2013): 1-5. Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences. Scholarlink Research Institute Journals. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http://jetems.scholarlinkresearch.com/articles/causes,%20effects%20and%20solutions.pdf>. "Introducing UNESCO." UNESCO. UN, n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2015. <http%3a%2f%2fen.unesco.org%2fabout- us%2fintroducing- unesco>. "About the ILO." N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ilo.org/global/about- the- ilo/lang- - en/index.htm>.
Economywatch. "Nigerian Unemployment." Economy Watch. N.p., 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 6 Apr. 2015. <http%3a%2f%2fwww.economywatch.com%2funemployment%2fcountries%2fnigeria.html>. JoMUN XIII