Senate President Bukola Saraki on Monday called on the All Progressive Congress-led Federal Government address the spate of unemployment in the country and stop the blame game.
The Senate President stated this at a one-day ‘Special Public Hearing on Youth Job Creation and Entrepreneurship’ held at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.
Saraki also called for closer coordination between the agencies of the Federal Government in charge of youth development and job creation.
He stated that this would ensure that government’s policies and programmes on job creation were aligned across the board.
Saraki said, “It is futile to point fingers or cast blame on any one administration and/or government programme. Nigeria’s youths deserve our immediate interest, best thinking and above all, our best efforts to create workable solutions to include their concerns in our national investment framework.”
He also stated that the primary factors contributing to high youth unemployment were high population growth outpacing economic growth and “the fact that the curricula in our schools have not equipped students with appropriate skills for employment; and the lack of vibrant industries to absorb competent graduates.”
The hearing was attended by representatives of ministries, agencies and departments of Federal Government and civil organizations.
