I was not so suprised when the news hit the Punch newspapers yesterday .It was interesting to see such initiative being featured in the Mainstream media. Hopefully, someone from the government will recognize this initiative and take it up from there .

Jobless Nigerian graduates inaugurate online association
Some Nigerians youths have formed a group online with a view to tackling joblessness in the country.

On the Facebook page of the group known as the National Association of Unemployed Graduates, the youths said the initiative was set up to solve the problem of unemployment in Nigeria.

The move, they added, was to “cleanse the country of the virus called unemployment” by holding government at all levels accountable.

A message on the group’s Facebook page said their coming together became imperative as the menace of “unemployment is eating us up like a viral disease.”

According to them, inspite of their various ethnic backgrounds, they are united in the fight against unemployment.

They lamented the situation where applicants who were merely trying to survive were forced to part with money to secure employment forms.

The youth, who hold regular discussions and chats on Facebook, Twitter and on an online forum, nairaland.com said they were determined to address the socio-economic imbalances for which the unemployed Nigerian graduates are victims.

Members of the association on Facebook as of Thursday are 801 in number.

One Amobi Omekwu, who is a member of the group in a post on the Facebook page said, “I’m not into this struggle because I want the government to employ me. No! I might never be a direct beneficiary of the benefits. I only see a society where there is need for education; a society that rewards hard work and education; a society where employers do not lay ambush and pay graduates stipends.

“A society where graduates are entrepreneurs by choice; a society where graduates are respected, where everybody feels a measure of joy because things have taken shape. That society is the New Nigeria. Let us all join hands in this struggle which is a collective effort.”

A member of the group, who dropped a comment on nairaland.com with the name Kemtol said the absence of enabling business environment for youths to be self-employed has shot up the rate of unemployment in the country.

Kemtol wrote, “The association was formed as a yardstick for the unemployed voices to be heard. We see different anti-government groups springing up. Some of them are educated but because they have no source of livelihood, they have taken to crime.

“Another aim of the association is to motivate youths in the area of self-empowerments provided there is an enabling environment. A few years back, I had a setback in my business and I was thrown into the labour market. For three years, I roamed the streets of Lagos without a job and I had a son depending on me.

“I learnt how to make liquid soap, insecticides and the likes. But I have not been able to start a business of my own due to the requirements demanded by the regulatory body. The requirement would have cost me nothing less than a million naira. There is no enabling environment for upcoming and small scale entrepreneurs.”

Speaking with our correspondent on the telephone on Thursday, the coordinator of the group, Ehis Abuya, a 2010 graduate of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, said the social media helped greatly in mobilising his fellow jobless youths to join the association.

He disclosed that members of the association held their inaugural offline meeting in Lagos on September 7.

He noted that while the group will be engaging the government on the provision of employment opportunities and enabling environment, it would also be liaising with corporate bodies and relevant government agencies with a view to mentoring them to becoming successful entrepreneurs.

Abuya said, “Besides the issues of unemployment, we will be making our voices heard against underemployment and contract staffing by various corporate bodies which is now the order of the day.

“The association has been receiving widespread acceptance as some Nigerian youths who left the country, due to hardship and unemployment, have called me to laud the initiative. That is why I appreciate the advantages, which the advent of social media brought to our generation. This wouldn’t have been possible without the new media.”

Source

@topic...well its a great initiative and i fink dis association is doing great....God bless d journalist dat put dis on d pages of newspaper


...now d govt should take a drastic step o...or else..Revolution is d word..!

I see nairaland qoing places with this sort of insightful and positive news milling round.
@op would you mind joining me in my breakfast? 'bread and beans things'

the issue of contract jobs, job insourcing and outsourcing has brought back slavery in this country, the government has refused to regulate the private sector and they are committing all sorts of evil, taking advantage of the unemployment situation in nigeria.

punch was only looking for something captivating to showcase..

We kip shouting banks!!!!

Plz go and attack ur govt. Who is failing in their responsibility..

Gope they go places with this initiative.

Seun,thank you for the platform.

This initiative was thought out and planned here on nairaland. I remember vividly the thread by Ehixking calling for the formation of an association where unemplyment will be tackled. This was his post:

ehixking: Bees,ants and many other social insects despite the size of their brains,come together to build up hills for shelter,to store up food when its abundant for the next season because of the uncertainty in weather conditions or in case of famine!!

Truck drivers,mechanics,pepper grinders,market women and less educated entrepreneur also have their associations. They come together and look for ways forward!!they think ahead and avert any thing they think might be an obstruction in their various endeavors. So why cant we as graduate come together to solve these problems!!

Let's use our brains to solve our own problems. The government is not ready to carter for us.
Nigeria youths are not lazy and not violent. During the Fuel subsidy crisis I was in ibadan when old men were trying to protest,youth were sleeping inside but during the time for recruitment by National population commission the crowd was so much that a fight broke out. This is just to show you how ready we are to work.
There was a time the senate were debating on paying jobless youth if there was an association like this am sure we would have done something about it..
Joblessness in Nigeria is terrible and the statistics is Huge

If u have any idea on how to go about these paste your views and opinion here or
send me an email to ehixking@gmail.com
And to the management and crew of naira land and especially the "boss" seun osewa can help us publicize this!!

https://www.nairaland.com/1390376/national-association-unemployed-graduates-naug

Now the association has gone nuclear and is now on other social media platforms! Kudos to Nairaland, the largest Pan-African Forum in the world. The forum was also instrumental in the mobilisation for the associations first ever meeting (https://www.nairaland.com/1420679/national-association-unemployed-graduates-naug). I also learnt the association is now calling for Board of Trustees (https://www.nairaland.com/1447759/national-association-unemployed-graduates-openly).

However I must say a louder KUDOS to the organisers esp Ehixking. Without him, this project would never have seen the light of the day. To him I say, more powers to your elbow. You are indeed a king, a true leader, an agent for social change. It is because of the likes of Ehixking that makes me believe in this country called Nigeria. Nigeria shall be great.

nice

The editor of Punch newspaper must be a Nairalander.

Good thing! This would be a boost to their mission!

.

Let's pray for something here: that Mr. Ehis is not bought over along the line. That God surrounds him with like-minded people to make this project a reality.

Woow gudnews nairaland has impacted so much in me. Am proud to b a member of dis great FORUM!

Its high time our voice is being heard. Only in Nigeria that unemployed form association. REVOLUTION on da way#watchout

punch is using nl 4 traffic. it is a win-win situation.

Its time many start taking NL seriously.

Kudos to it organiser

Ok!

Now Playing Burna Boy' Run my Race.

I just hope they able to keep away infiltrations from the government that would only aim to politize the organization after it's exposure and there by dis stabilize it.

This group is going to be influential in future

I see Nairaland going places. The Internet is a tool we can use to voice out our opinions. #FG_do_something
#Seun_u_are_sighted