It is time to give the youth a chance

Young people are being excluded from economic and political life by a combination of joblessness and barriers to the creation of career opportunities in governance.

Unleashing the energy, entrepreneurial spirit and technological genius of the young is not just a moral imperative, but an economic necessity.

We are at a crisis point in relation to the world’s young people. According to the International Labour Organisation, global youth unemployment stands at 12.9%.

And in the world’s largest economies, OECD figures show that it’s an average of just above 16%, with youth employment falling 7 points from where it was before the crisis.

 Arguably, this is one of our present day's political father's biggest failures since the second republic, they are unable, or politically unwilling, to ensure that the young people participate meaningfully in the economy. 

This failure threatens not only the Nigerian political system, but also the cohesion of our societies.

Young people today are entering the most difficult labour market in decades, with potentially tragic consequences for their lives and futures.

 They are not just talking about a delay in finding meaningful employment, some of this generation will never make it onto the career ladder if we continue to remain silent.

Those who do manage to find work after being unemployed will earn around 8% less and suffer weaker career progression across their whole working lives than their peers who  by hook or crook entered politics directly as a form of blessings from a political godfather. 

Again, a policy failure within our societies: once a gap emerges, it tends to be persistent and difficult to close, thus fuelling a persistent cycle of poverty and inequality.

Therefore, our youth must rise up now to contest for their right in the Nigerian polity.

The time to act is now

©CA