Unemployment In Nigeria, A Time Bomb — PENGASSAN

PETROLEUM and Natural Gas Senior Staff of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, has described the unemployment situation in Nigeria as a time bomb that can explode any moment, calling on all tiers of government, especially the Federal Government, to be practical in its quest for job creation.

A statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Mr. Seyi Gambo, yesterday, in Lagos, said the only way to win the war against crime was tackling unemployment challenges.

According to him, “looking at huge number of applicants in some of the recruitment exercise carried out recently, especially the Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment and the Delta State Civil Service are testimonies that government at all levels needs to be pragmatic about job creation in the country.

“This is not a matter of statistics and figures alone. All the figures being brandished by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealla, where she claimed increased job creation by the Federal Government and reduction in unemployment did not reflect the true reality on ground.

“The high number of applicants in the failed NIS recruitment exercise and other instances that may not be known shows the reality of the kind of problem the Nigerian nation is. Unless the issue of unemployment is resolved, various crises such as insurgency, kidnapping, ritual killing, armed struggles and other crimes will not stop.

“The government must take pragmatic steps in fixing the nation’s infrastructural facilities, especially power, as a genuine step towards job creation and employment sustainability in the country. The worsening power situation in Nigeria also compounds the problems of the self-employed.”