Question 16 of 23 Presiding Questions for 2023 Presidential Quests: Their Ambitions versus Our Convictions



Section c: Recovery of Social Architecture

According to forecast unemployment rate in Nigeria published by www.statista.com, “in 2022, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is estimated to reach 33%”. This alarming figure places unemployment as a chief manipulator of social order and recipe for the growing insecurity in the land. However, resolving this complex problem requires a multi-faceted strategy that includes the enhancement of private sector investments (industries, corporations etc.) in all areas of comparative advantage in each of the 36 States & FCT, empowerment of graduates & non-graduates with requisite career-building & entrepreneurial “knowledge and skills”, provision of grants and interest-free loans to business/enterprise starters and other creative initiatives. The reduction of unemployment should not continue via the flawed approach of overburdening the Civil Service at Federal, States & LGA levels with needless number of workers and creation of new Ministries, Departments & Agencies.

According to the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform, the Federal government currently has about 720,000 public servants on its payroll with a huge financial expectation of N3.88 trillion (as of 2022 budget) for their salaries, allowances & other emoluments. Yet, drawing from a Punch newspaper publication of 22nd December, 2022, “the Senate has proposed the establishment of 376 new agencies and institutions despite moves by the Federal Government to restructure the public service in line with the Steve Oronsaye Committee Report on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commission”.

No doubt, gainful employment of the youths would significantly reduce social vices in Nigeria. Consequently, our next President in 2023 should engender policies that would encourage the Federal, State and Local governments to attract massive private sector participation in various productive sectors as a sustainable employment-generation strategy for Nigerians within the productive age group. On the other hand, the needless and unsustainable creation of more Ministries, Departments & Agencies (MDAs) for job provision should be discouraged because it creates more problems than it attempts to solve.

a. I strongly agree              b. I agree     c. I disagree             d. I strongly disagree

 

Dr. Adetolu Ademujimi is a Medical Doctor, Author, Reformer, Coach, Public Policy expert and social entrepreneur, who wrote in from Akure in Nigeria. Email: ademujimi@yahoo.co.uk; Twitter: @toluademujimi; Instagram: @adetoluademujimi; Linkedin: @adetolu ademujimi

 

 

 


Comments

  1. Catherine Ogunjebi31 December 2022 at 05:57

    I strongly agree.
    It's also important to note that the same or at best comparable incentive regime for both public and private sectors will play a huge role in maintaining employment (Square pegs in Square holes) in any of the two sectors.

    ReplyDelete

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