Open Letter to Kogi Governor-elect, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo By Ozumi Abdul

Open Letter to Kogi Governor-elect, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.

…. setting agenda (2)

By Ozumi Abdul

Youth Employment And Empowerment

One of the challenges faced by Nigeria society today is undoubtedly, youth unemployment, and Kogi state cannot be said to be immune to this time-bomb waiting to explode

It’s well acknowledged that youth being the fulcrum of any society, one of the dangerous harms any society can cause to itself is either to have them partially engaged in anything that would better their lives, or to totally get disengaged.

As at the last data by Knoema, an Enterprise datahub for IT and business leaders,

Kogi unemployment rate was at the level of 9.5 % in 2010, down from 19 % previous year. With the above data, well over a decade ago, one can easily discern what youth unemployment would be today in Kogi state.

Numerous factors contribute to this unfortunate situation, and one major cause is the disparity between job opportunities and the growing number of young people entering the labor market each year, especially the state civil service.

Another significant limitation is the inadequate implementation and monitoring of the successive state government programs.

Without being mischievous, while there have been several initiatives by previous governments, aimed at addressing youth unemployment, their impacts have often been limited due to poor execution and lack of proper evaluation. This leads to a disconnect between policy intentions and on-the-ground outcomes.

Furthermore, corruption within the state government institutions has had a detrimental impact on youth employment prospects.

Nepotism and favoritism often result in qualified young individuals being passed over for job opportunities in favor of less competent candidates with connections.

For young job seekers who may not have connections to secure employment through informal channels, it perpetuates a sense of frustration among them because they would feel marginalized by these unfair practices.

These factors were glorified by successive governments under Igala ethnic extraction for over 16 years of their reigns.

As at the year 2014, the investigation I conducted had it that the Igalas alone boasted of 71% workforce in the Kogi state civil service; many who were alleged to be ghost workers before the coming on board of this administration, while the duo of Okuns and Ebiras had to do with the paltry and derisory combined percent of 29%.

If the outgoing government of Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello hasn’t, or fail address this headlong, Dear Ododo, your government should endeavor to look into that critically for the purpose of justice and fairness.

Compounding these social woes is the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused widespread job losses across various sectors in the state, especially in the banking sector, as many businesses downsized or closed entirely due to economic disruptions caused by restrictions.

With the endowment of large natural resources deposits in our dear state, such as Coal, Iron-ore, Dolomite Feldspar, Tar, Bauxite and Limestone, I don’t personally think we should be having much problems dealing with youth employment; but unfortunately here we are today, no thanks to lack of political will from the previous successive administrations, who had either failed, or refused to nick in the bud youth employment by tapping into these enormous natural endowments.

Dear Governor-elect Ahmed Usman Ododo, in addressing youth unemployment, your government is expected to engage in a comprehensive approach that focuses on creating more job opportunities while equipping young people with relevant skills needed in today’s competitive job market.

It is expected of your administration to have government interventions that prioritize investment in education, vocational training programs, entrepreneurship support initiatives, as well as public-private partnerships aimed at fostering economic growth.

Your government should ensure there is a marriage of apprenticeship programs that combine classroom learning with practical work experience. This can help bridge the gap between education and employment, while monitoring the feedback.

Also, there should be future interventions, which prioritize sustainable funding mechanisms for existing programs while ensuring efficient implementation strategies.

Also, in bridging unemployment, your government should endeavor to leveragie technology.

There should be deliberate democratization of knowledge through digitalization to solve the nagging problem of youth unemployment in our state, with four solutions approach, viz: capacity building, entrepreneurship, job creation and vocational skill development.

Additionally, there should be government incentives (tax rebates) for established vocational centres to encourage standardization of training modules and quality upgrades in delivery.

Your government should ensure entrepreneurship is a part of the secondary school curriculum and module for final-year students in the university.

There should be adoption of programs and policies that support the growth of startups.

Dear Ododo, your government should incorporate soft-skills training early on in the curriculum up until the graduate level.

Your government should also encourage the development of industry-specific training schools, and curriculum reforms.

To Be Continued

Below ???? ???? ???? is the link to the first open letter to the Governor-elect,Ahmed Ododo

Open Letter To The Governor -elect, Ahmed Usman Ododo..setting agenda(1) By Ozumi Abdul

Open Letter To The Governor -elect, Ahmed Usman Ododo..setting agenda(1) By Ozumi Abdul