The population of graduates in Nigeria is high and the rate of unemployment in Nigeria is quite alarming. In fact, a survey has revealed that over 90,000 people, which is about 47 percent of Nigeria’s university graduates are unemployed in the country that is considered, Africa’s largest economy.
Also, findings revealed that unemployment in Nigeria increased from 21.1% in 2010 to 23.9% in 2011 with youth unemployment at over 50%. From 2011 to 2013 there is an increase of 16% unemployment growth rate in Nigeria.
Apparently, the generalization of Nigerian graduates being unemployable informed President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent charge to university administrators to ensure that their graduates are employable. The President had said he could not be comfortable “when products of Nigeria’s citadels of learning are being described as ‘unemployable’, exhibiting lack of job-readiness and so on.”
Moreover, according to estimation, the country tertiary institutions produced about 500,000 graduates each year, besides, there are some Nigerian graduates who study abroad, and who are back home to compete for job opportunities in the country. This makes the percentage of unemployable graduates in Nigeria to be on a steady high rate.
Truth is, the above data is a problem that needs urgent solution on the public sector, as well as, the private sector operators. However, Analysts say that, the number of unemployed university graduates in Nigeria will be in the increase in the coming years.
Infact, some employers in the country have attributed the issue of unemployment of Nigerian graduates to the quality of university education they have acquired, which according to them, is the reason they are unemployable.
It’s believe in some quarters that, one of the major reasons why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable is because most Nigerian graduates are said to lack employable skills, some kind of skills that could guarantee employment.
In other words, most Nigerian graduates, which Nigerian tertiary institutions have produced over the years are said to lack the relevant skills needed today in the labour market.
And so, until the Nigerian government look into the matter and see how to proffer solution to the problem, by way of improving the education system in the country, the problem of unemployment in the country will continue to remain a thing of concern in Nigeria.
Also, the problems in the Nigerian education system has been identified as one problem that has contributed to the reasons why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable.
The problem is nothing but, the total failure of the system in the country to place much emphasis on the practical concepts of entrepreneurship in the school curriculum.
For example, so much emphasis has been placed on theoretical education more than what is being placed on entrepreneurship exposure of the Nigerian students. This is a tragedy and the reason why Nigerian graduates will continue to be unemployable.
Another cause of unemployability in Nigeria is misplaced priority in Nigeria educational system. This is simple, the quality of training is said not to be in tune with the need of Nigerian society.
This problem, where the quality of education and the focus of training as offered by the Nigerian schools are different from the needs of the society is what has contributed to the reason why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable.
And this means perhaps, there is a problem with the system of education in Nigeria, and this call for the attention of the Nigerian government to do something urgently about the education system in the country in order to bring a lasting solution to the problem of unemployment.
In addition, one of the major reasons why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable is because most of the programmes done in the Nigerian universities are said to be irrelevant, which perhaps, are not marketable in the labour market.
And one wonders why universities programmes in Nigeria are irrelevant, and nothing is done about that by the relevant authorities in the country.
How will Nigerian universities will be graduating over 500,000 graduates yearly, who do not have what to offer the society, or who could not create jobs for themselves, and perhaps, become employers of labour, or worst still, who do not have the requisite knowledge that guarantees them employment. It is unfortunate!
Another reason why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable is one of the criteria for securing employment in Nigeria is that one must have work experience before he can gain employment in the country. Most employers will be asking for job experiences for Nigerian graduates, who are fresher in the labour market.
Analysts are of the view that, this is very wrong, how do they expect a fresh graduate, who has just graduated from school or who has just completed his or her National Youth Service Corp NYSC program to have experience in the job first before you give her or his employment?
Another reason why most Nigerian graduates are unemployable is because Nigerian students who study in the tertiary institutions in the country are not being impacted with new skills and knowledge because the university lecturers, who taught these students are not undergoing training, they are not upgrading their knowledge in line with the current trend of education system hence, the students are found wanting in terms of the current skills and knowledge that drive Nigeria’s labour market. Even when these university lecturers are trained, they are not getting themselves retrained.
The above mentioned reasons for unemployability in Nigeria has created tension and hatred between the haves and have not, leading to communal clashes and the rise of such groups such as Boko Haram, IPOB, Niger Delta Militant, armed robbery, prostitution and child trafficking constituting hiccups to security of lives and properties.
On way forward, ascertaining policies that have worked in addressing unemployment in Nigeria is rather difficult in light of the incredibly high and rising unemployment rate—and at least around 1.8 million youth are entering the labor market every year.
Since it is unclear to what extent any given intervention may have reduced the youth unemployment rate in aggregate, it may be more helpful to think of effective policies as those which have delivered on their stated objectives. The sustainability of a program could also be considered an indicator of success.
Different programs have been introduced by various administrations over time to address youth unemployment, which has been an issue of significant public concern since the days of SAP. In fact, youth unemployment became the focus of the social policy of the military government that ruled Nigeria for much of its years as an independent nation.
The initial reaction of the government was to draft unemployed youth to public programs such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) and the Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure (DIFRRI), which provided immediate and direct jobs to participants interested in agriculture.
More coordinated and planned measures later followed, and these are classified into three categories: labor demand, labor supply and labor market interventions. Labor demand strategy focused on creating jobs immediately through public works or creating certain jobs in the private sector aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and skills enhancement. Labor supply strategy dealt with the training and education of prospective job seekers. The labor market intervention strategy focused on improving the labor market and matching demand and supply interrelationships.
However, with the transition to civilian rule in 1999, successive civilian administrations— including the current leadership—have tried to refocus unemployment programs, discontinuing many of the old programs, restructuring some of them and creating new ones.
A final consideration is to ask whether indeed a policy stance actually addresses factors that limit the demand for labor. Recently, public policy has encouraged youth to undertake entrepreneurship, which can make them create employment for themselves and also become employers of labor.
However, in the long-run, the industrial sector must also expand to create opportunities for youth. Industrial expansion must be based on available local resources in agriculture and solid mineral exploitation as well as value chain activities in those two sectors.
The development of infrastructure, particularly electricity, will provide the necessary boost to any meaningful approach towards expanding industrial production space and creating employment for millions of job seekers, especially Nigerian youth.
