FG's Job Creation Strategy

The Federal Government may have finally begun to pay attention to one of the crippling problems in the country - unemployment - after so many years of apparent apathetic attitude to it. Nobody needs be told that this phenomenon, which is indeed an evidence of the badly managed economy, which the nation has been saddled with, especially in last decade or so of apparent democracy, has let off some spiralling effects, which have virtually put the entire Nigerian polity in danger. Armed robbery, prostitution, drug pushing and brain drain, with the attendant national embarrassment, are just a few.

Reports say the government has already sent a bill to the National Assembly to this effect. The bill came with another, the reports say, to pre-empt possible food crisis in the country.

Ordinarily, these moves would have been seen as credible on the part of government to show concern for its citizens. But knowing Nigeria, especially the method of the present government in power, there may be no reason to cheer. Not only would it likely take several years to start implementation, even if the National Assembly gives the initiative speedy treatment, what is already being proposed, from snippets from the bill, appears to indicate a resort to old methods.

For instance, the employment generation strategy is said to centre around establishing an agency to enhance agricultural extension delivery service through the training of unemployed graduates as Advisory Service Providers in the areas of agriculture, to enable them become self-employed.

Now, anyone that is familiar with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) or the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) is likely to begin to nurse certain apprehensions, even before the initiative matures. The shape of these programmes, then and now, which its promoters had tried to convince the public were the panacea the nation needed to end the unemployment malaise, is for the same people to examine now. At best, if it goes the way of others, the current effort could again be a means of providing meal tickets for few party members. Perhaps not.

But all these apprehensions may indeed be unnecessary, if this government could only do as much as curbing just half of the wastage and corruption within its fold. Millions of these people may not need such handouts, if only the problem of power could be solved.