₦airaland Forum

Tourshaw:
What you used as an example which is the case Mr James nullifies the point here. The accident is not as a result of bad road. It was gathered that the incident was as a result of burst car tyre and not bad road as you said. Please, take time to always read the news before comment
http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/08/ocholi-it-was-a-burst-tyre-that-caused-the-accident-says-survivor/

luxanne:
@Freemanan, KingTom, Crazy..man, He..rexG

Any question(s) for the debaters?


The Audience can also now ask.

aysuccess99:
Hmm. How will you say that the money looted by the government those not amounts to something. It's quite a pity to see the state which our country have generated to in terms of corruption.
Ina s much as we can't fold our hands and expect manna from heaven but I put it to you that due to things that our government did not put in place has affected our country. Taking an instance, the issue of epileptic power supply, most artisans did not wait for the government to provide them job, for matter of emphasis, some of them are even graduates, but due to the lack of constant power supply by the government, most of them have been left with no other option than to close their shops and even fold up.
How about small business Enterprises and our local companies which are being affected by the failure of our government to provide those things that will help improve their business. lack of loans, poor electricity supply, bad government policies and even more have affected them and made them to fold up.
In as much that it is sardonic depending on a failed government but I tell you that most of government policies have one way or the other affected those who are even self-employed.
It is a just a pity that in the midst of abundant in this nation, we still suffer as if we have nothing.

akanbiaa:
My Name is Akanbi Abdullahi Adeshola and am part of the audience/viewers my question is directed at Mr Omotosho representing UNIILORIN and it goes thus: Unemployment is a monster that will come to consume all and sundry if its unchecked, people are easily brainwashed and indoctrinated with negative believe system because of frustration from unemployment(Causing high crime rates, terrorism and hatred even evident with tribalistic utterances mostly from unemployed youths on nairaland), knowing these Who should be responsible for creating employment and training the so called unemployable people, and why is there so much stolen funds, abandoned projects, and stupendiously rich politicians who embezzle what was budjeted for developmental projects, skill acquisition/empowerement and employment programs?

KingTom:
none at all madam

Neyoor:
Nigerians are lazy, if they are not, they would embrace blue-collar jobs like farming to fend for themselves. They depends solely on government for the jobs that are not available. They believe education is the only way to get a better job.

China, Korea are triumphing technologically because their youths make use of the available resources but reverse is the case in Nigeria. Our fertile lands are crying for being neglected.

aysuccess99:
THE GOVERNMENT IS SOLELY TO BLAME FOR HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN NIGERIA.

Nigeria, which is the biggest black nation in the world, ought to have very strong economy capable of employing almost all employable citizens, but unfortunately, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is alarming. It is quite a pity that a nation as blessed as ours with all good blessings such as lands flowing with milk and honey, to abundant natural resources among many others still battle with high unemployment rate. Unemployment have become a socio-economic problem and since little or nothing had been done to put it on check, it has had adverse effects on our country and has led to criminal activities and other evil vices. Before I proceed further to make my informed audience, co-debaters and the judges see reasons why government is solely to blame for the high unemployment rate, I will love to give honor to whom it is due.

Good evening to the Chairman of this occasion, Mr. Seun Osewa for this platform to debate solutions for Nigeria and Africa at large, ever-zealous coordinators, perspicacious panel of judges, intelligent co-debaters, literati, intelligentsia and informed audience. I am Aysuccess99, a representative of the prestigious University of Ibadan, the First and the Best. I am here to support the motion that: Government is solely to blame for high unemployment rate in Nigeria. According tocan Nicholas[2000], a person is unemployed if he or she is eligible for work but does not have a job. Also, according to Aguene[1991], unemployment refers to the number of people in the population who are willing and offer themselves for employment but could not be employed because of lack of vacancies for them. The most appropriate definition of unemployment is given by Lampman[1974] who defines unemployment as a socio-economic situation in which persons who have no work are able and willing to work and also actively seeking for work but has no work. It must be noted that no country can have a zero unemployment rate but the unemployment rate of our country is quite alarming.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 9.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015 from 8.20 percent in the second quarter of 2015. Unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 11.45 percent from 2006 to 2015, reaching an all time high of 23.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and a record low of 5.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Looking at this statistics in relation to the adverse effect of unemployment in Nigeria, one will begin to wonder who should be held responsible for this socio-economic problem affecting our nation.

Why has not any government made creating jobs a priority instead of promising roads and bridges which they eventually do not build? Most people claim that it should not be the job of the government to create jobs and that citizens should use their initiatives and creative thinking to create jobs for themselves. In as much as the use of one's initiatives in creating job is good but when has it become the responsibility of the citizens to create jobs for themselves? Every reasonable and focused government of the world strive and do all it takes to reduce the number of their unemployed graduates. This shows that getting people, especially young graduates gainful employment is the sole responsibility of the government at all levels. Even the United States of America in spite of her level of capitalism still believe that it is the sole responsibility of the government to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum which the ''Employment Act of 1946'' represents: 'The Congress hereby declares that it is the continuing policy and responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practical means to promote maximum employment, production and purchasing power to her citizens.' [Ackley 1978] and as such I wonder where our country got the perspective of the citizens creating jobs for themselves.

In addition, several things that our government ought to put in place but did not has contributed to the high unemployment rate. Taking for instance, the issue of epileptic power supply in the country. Many foreign companies that could have invested in this country[considering the big marketing vista in Nigeria] and which would have provided many employment opportunities to Nigerian to reduce unemployment have changed direction to our neighboring countries with constant electricity supply. The same problem has affected many of our local companies who could not cope with the high cost of running generators all the time, and were thus forced to fold up and threw their employees into the Labour market. What about self-employed Nigerians and other artisans who require constant power supply for their job, which only public power or bigger generators can provide? Many of such ones have been thrown into unemployment as they could not afford bigger generators for their work.

More so, lack of diversification of the economy and most especially, the neglect of agriculture and other natural resources by the government has led to unemployment. Nigeria is blessed with many resources that are not being utilized, which are enough to gainfully engaged every unemployed person, but the craze for quick oil money has made both government and most individuals to direct all attention to only the oil industry, and as such has caused the neglect of agriculture which was formerly the mainstay of our economy and a source of employment to the teeming population. The 'oil boom' has now become 'oil gloom' due to fall in the price of crude oil in the market. We also have the Ajaokuta Steel Company that can absorb up to 30,000 workers but our government has turned a close eye to it and even many industries like that and they allow those industries to waste away only for the citizens to suffer due to their government inaction to utilize this resources for the welfare of her citizens.

Further more, the corruption exhibited by our government has led to unemployment. Those who are meant to use public funds for building more industries embezzle such funds for their personal use which resulted in massive increase in unemployment rate. Without going too far, Nigeria is said to be the eight most corrupt country in the world and so has high unemployment rate. Taking the case of the missing or unaccounted $20 billion at NNPC among many other corrupt practices and embezzlement carried out by our government, this funds could have been invested in infrastructures that will aid businesses which will create job openings but it is now a pity because it is the other way round. Chinua Achebe[1983] in one of the finding in his book, 'The Trouble With Nigeria' emphasized that the cult of corruption formed by our rulers, and their insatiable quest to loot the National treasury has sailed us into the 'ocean' of economic confusion and unemployment. In his observations, it is true that a Nigeria free from corrupt rulers will be a Nigeria free from unemployment.

In conclusion, I believe so strongly that our government should be solely held responsible for the high unemployment rate in our country due to their lackadaisical approach towards the situation of unemployment in the country. Who has over the last decade allocated less than half the recommended budget for education, and as such produce graduates that are half-baked? Who had in previous years made high allocations and budget to security and yet still combating with insecurity and terrorism and as such scare foreign investors away? There are still much questions to be asked but if your answer is the same as mine, then I believe that you would have seen reasons why the government should be solely blame for the high unemployment rate in Nigeria. Thank you.

REFERENCES.
1. Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: nigeriamasterweb.com/Masterweb/MasterwebMobileNews.php?rss_id=MzM

2. Nigeria Unemployment Rate|2006-2016|Data: www.tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/unemployment-rate

akanbiaa:
My Name is Akanbi Abdullahi Adeshola and am part of the audience/viewers my question is directed at Mr Omotosho representing UNIILORIN and it goes thus: Unemployment is a monster that will come to consume all and sundry if its unchecked, people are easily brainwashed and indoctrinated with negative believe system because of frustration from unemployment(Causing high crime rates, terrorism and hatred even evident with tribalistic utterances mostly from unemployed youths on nairaland), knowing these Who should be responsible for creating employment and training the so called unemployable people, and why is there so much stolen funds, abandoned projects, and stupendiously rich politicians who embezzle what was budjeted for developmental projects, skill acquisition/empowerement and employment programs?

aysuccess99:
THE GOVERNMENT IS SOLELY TO BLAME FOR HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN NIGERIA.

Nigeria, which is the biggest black nation in the world, ought to have very strong economy capable of employing almost all employable citizens, but unfortunately, the unemployment rate in Nigeria is alarming. It is quite a pity that a nation as blessed as ours with all good blessings such as lands flowing with milk and honey, to abundant natural resources among many others still battle with high unemployment rate. Unemployment have become a socio-economic problem and since little or nothing had been done to put it on check, it has had adverse effects on our country and has led to criminal activities and other evil vices. Before I proceed further to make my informed audience, co-debaters and the judges see reasons why government is solely to blame for the high unemployment rate, I will love to give honor to whom it is due.

Good evening to the Chairman of this occasion, Mr. Seun Osewa for this platform to debate solutions for Nigeria and Africa at large, ever-zealous coordinators, perspicacious panel of judges, intelligent co-debaters, literati, intelligentsia and informed audience. I am Aysuccess99, a representative of the prestigious University of Ibadan, the First and the Best. I am here to support the motion that: Government is solely to blame for high unemployment rate in Nigeria. According tocan Nicholas[2000], a person is unemployed if he or she is eligible for work but does not have a job. Also, according to Aguene[1991], unemployment refers to the number of people in the population who are willing and offer themselves for employment but could not be employed because of lack of vacancies for them. The most appropriate definition of unemployment is given by Lampman[1974] who defines unemployment as a socio-economic situation in which persons who have no work are able and willing to work and also actively seeking for work but has no work. It must be noted that no country can have a zero unemployment rate but the unemployment rate of our country is quite alarming.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 9.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015 from 8.20 percent in the second quarter of 2015. Unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 11.45 percent from 2006 to 2015, reaching an all time high of 23.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 and a record low of 5.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Looking at this statistics in relation to the adverse effect of unemployment in Nigeria, one will begin to wonder who should be held responsible for this socio-economic problem affecting our nation.

Why has not any government made creating jobs a priority instead of promising roads and bridges which they eventually do not build? Most people claim that it should not be the job of the government to create jobs and that citizens should use their initiatives and creative thinking to create jobs for themselves. In as much as the use of one's initiatives in creating job is good but when has it become the responsibility of the citizens to create jobs for themselves? Every reasonable and focused government of the world strive and do all it takes to reduce the number of their unemployed graduates. This shows that getting people, especially young graduates gainful employment is the sole responsibility of the government at all levels. Even the United States of America in spite of her level of capitalism still believe that it is the sole responsibility of the government to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum which the ''Employment Act of 1946'' represents: 'The Congress hereby declares that it is the continuing policy and responsibility of the Federal Government to use all practical means to promote maximum employment, production and purchasing power to her citizens.' [Ackley 1978] and as such I wonder where our country got the perspective of the citizens creating jobs for themselves.

In addition, several things that our government ought to put in place but did not has contributed to the high unemployment rate. Taking for instance, the issue of epileptic power supply in the country. Many foreign companies that could have invested in this country[considering the big marketing vista in Nigeria] and which would have provided many employment opportunities to Nigerian to reduce unemployment have changed direction to our neighboring countries with constant electricity supply. The same problem has affected many of our local companies who could not cope with the high cost of running generators all the time, and were thus forced to fold up and threw their employees into the Labour market. What about self-employed Nigerians and other artisans who require constant power supply for their job, which only public power or bigger generators can provide? Many of such ones have been thrown into unemployment as they could not afford bigger generators for their work.

More so, lack of diversification of the economy and most especially, the neglect of agriculture and other natural resources by the government has led to unemployment. Nigeria is blessed with many resources that are not being utilized, which are enough to gainfully engaged every unemployed person, but the craze for quick oil money has made both government and most individuals to direct all attention to only the oil industry, and as such has caused the neglect of agriculture which was formerly the mainstay of our economy and a source of employment to the teeming population. The 'oil boom' has now become 'oil gloom' due to fall in the price of crude oil in the market. We also have the Ajaokuta Steel Company that can absorb up to 30,000 workers but our government has turned a close eye to it and even many industries like that and they allow those industries to waste away only for the citizens to suffer due to their government inaction to utilize this resources for the welfare of her citizens.

Further more, the corruption exhibited by our government has led to unemployment. Those who are meant to use public funds for building more industries embezzle such funds for their personal use which resulted in massive increase in unemployment rate. Without going too far, Nigeria is said to be the eight most corrupt country in the world and so has high unemployment rate. Taking the case of the missing or unaccounted $20 billion at NNPC among many other corrupt practices and embezzlement carried out by our government, this funds could have been invested in infrastructures that will aid businesses which will create job openings but it is now a pity because it is the other way round. Chinua Achebe[1983] in one of the finding in his book, 'The Trouble With Nigeria' emphasized that the cult of corruption formed by our rulers, and their insatiable quest to loot the National treasury has sailed us into the 'ocean' of economic confusion and unemployment. In his observations, it is true that a Nigeria free from corrupt rulers will be a Nigeria free from unemployment.

In conclusion, I believe so strongly that our government should be solely held responsible for the high unemployment rate in our country due to their lackadaisical approach towards the situation of unemployment in the country. Who has over the last decade allocated less than half the recommended budget for education, and as such produce graduates that are half-baked? Who had in previous years made high allocations and budget to security and yet still combating with insecurity and terrorism and as such scare foreign investors away? There are still much questions to be asked but if your answer is the same as mine, then I believe that you would have seen reasons why the government should be solely blame for the high unemployment rate in Nigeria. Thank you.

REFERENCES.
1. Youth Unemployment in Nigeria: nigeriamasterweb.com/Masterweb/MasterwebMobileNews.php?rss_id=MzM

2. Nigeria Unemployment Rate|2006-2016|Data: www.tradingeconomics.com/nigeria/unemployment-rate

Neyoor:
Well said, now let me put this to you. Why do we always have consistent light in some Universities and Industrial Area. I can point out not less than 4 university where there is always 21hours uninterrupted power supply on a daily basis. The answer is simple, Nigerians are corrupt and callous. I have seen a viewing centre owner going around to bribe the PHCN inorder not to supply light for his area, so that people can come and watch match in his place. Federal government recently announced increment in PHCN tariff, to enable them give the best power supply for her citizens but majority of Nigerians are against it.


The roads and basic amenities put in place by the government are destroyed by who, if not the citizens.

If we can see people indulging in jobs other than the federal government own and becoming successful in it, then what's keeping the unemployed people from embracing such.

luxanne:
A question from the audience for you Tourshaw, kindly respond

aysuccess99:
I really love the area in which you stated the obvious. Before now it was known that agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. A lot of income were gained through agriculture, a whole lot of people were employed through agriculture, but since the oil boom, agriculture was abandoned. Instead of our government to diversify the economy, they did not. They depended on the money realized from the crude oil and forgot about agriculture.
That being established.
You claim that the youths should involve themselves in agriculture, which I will agree with without any objection.
But do you know that before anyone can practice agriculture, there should be little capital to back the person up. We all see agriculture in a subsistence way but agriculture has gone beyond that.
If youths are to involve themselves in agriculture, how about farm machinery that they will need to improve their productivity? How about money that they will use to get inputs such as fertilizers, seeds and many others.
How about the issue of land tenure system? How about government policies that have affected agriculture negatively?
Agriculture seems to be the way, but you cannot just tell our youths to involve themselves in agriculture when little or nothing is done by the government to ensure that agricultural productivity is improved upon? Loans that should be provided to farmers for production are not provided by agricultural banks due to certain reasons, where then do you expect the youths to get money to involve themselves in agriculture.
If at all youths will involve themselves in agriculture, the government must play their part. If the government can play their part, I tell you their will be all round food for all in the country, our economy will improve, their will be available raw materials for a lot of industries and considering our topic, employment opportunities will be opened to a lot o our citizens.

HerexG:
Could you please suggest a practical short term solution to the unemployment rate in Nigeria.

aysuccess99:
In as much as I will agree to the fact that in most universities there's constant electricity supply[despite the fact that recently we are facing power issues in most universities including UI] but yet we must know that those who need this constant electricity supply are not being provided with it. You should ask yourself that why did Nigerians cried out concerning the issue of increase in tariff? It is because we hardly have electricity supply in most cities in the country.
Can you tell me vividly that in your area that you've 18hours of electricity supply at most? The answer is quite obvious.
The roads are destroyed by the citizens? I will agree to that partially but I will state the obvious that most road constructions made by the government are just for short term. You can imagine the roads made by the government and in less than a year, we begin to see potholes on such roads.
@boldened, I will say that it's true but how many percentage of such people are successful compared to the number of unemployed populace that we have that involve themselves in small business Enterprises?

Neyoor:
If there is any sector where they government specifically set down different loan scheme for the practitioner, it is no other sector than the agricultural sector. They are favorable loan schemes set aside for agricultural practitioner and those that want to embrace it.

Incase, you don't know. Virtually all the local governments in most state are equipped with agriculture facilities and machines for people in the locality to rent, so as to placate their work.

They are good motorable roads and even rail ways to channel goods from the rural areas to the urban areas where their goods would be sold.

Neyoor:
Anadariya Farms, AnuOluwa Farms, Folawiyo Farms
Limited, Jovana Farms, Maizube Farms, Nagari Integrated Diary Farms, OBASANJO FARM, Ojemai Farms, SEBORE FARMS are the leading farms in Nigeria. If the agriculture sector is not favourable for them in Nigeria, they will not be in the profession till date and the most interesting fact about them is that most of them started from the scratch.

Like I said earlier, we have schools and industrial areas where their is always constant power supply and they always have light for not less than 18hours in a day. I have experienced it in my school and schools like OAU, UNILAG and FUTA that I've been to.

Tourshaw:
Thanks for the question. First it is not UNIILORIN, it is UNILORIN. To be on a safer side, let me say it's either I don't understand your question or it is beyond the scope of this debate topic. Better still you can refrain it to make it more understandable Sir.
Thank you Sir

akanbiaa:
The UNILORIN was a typographical error my apologies, the summary of my question is that we all agree unemployment is a great monster and dangerous, so if government fails to curb it with its vast amount of resources who will do it better, who creates and implements policies the public and private sector adheres to? and if they let the monster(unemployment) take over who shall bear the brunt? The more reason why government is solely to be blamed for high unemoloyment rates in my view.

Tourshaw:
Topic: The government is solely to blame for
high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
Stance: Oppose

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, “each year,
about 1.8m young Nigerians enter into our already saturated labour market.” This incessant increase elicits a lot of unanswered questions as to causes and consequences. I took an envisage look from my vantage points into the situation and came up with these points but before unleashing my convincing points of view, I must register my sincere greetings to those whom it's due.

Chairman of the occasion, inexhaustible moderators, unprejudiced judges, distinguished co-debaters, my untiring readers and audience, ladies and gentlemen, good day to you all. My name is Abdulkareem Abdulmumeen Omotosho, representing the prestigious better by far University, Unilorin in this debate. And solidly opposing the motion which states that the government is solely to blame for high unemployment rate in Nigeria.
To shed more light on the topic for easy digestion of the discourse, some of the wordings in the topic is defined comprehensively thus;


Government; The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.
Blame; censure
Unemployment; state of joblessness.
Firstly, dismal performance during undergraduate. A graduate wandering endlessly about the streets for job but unfortunately couldn't find any. He became frustrated and started blaming the government for non provision of job opportunity. And do you have any idea to why he wasn't able to secure any? Because this person graduated with a Pass grade. The point here is that before we blame government for unemployment, let's ask ourselves what we are coming out with from higher institution. There's no way one will graduate with first class or even second class upper and won't be preferred to the other who graduates with a Pass grade. We have chance to determine what we want for ourselves after school right from our tertiary institution because despite the ever increasing rate of unemployment, handful of graduates still get good jobs immediately which is as a result of their unmatched performance. Take for instance, in my school, every first class graduate is retained as lecturer. This development goes a long way in reducing the rate of unemployment.


Secondly, sheer dependency. Our youths are over depending. When a baby is born, the responsibility of his proper upbringing is sheerly saddled by the parents till he attains adulthood. This time when he should be independent on any and thinks how to fend for himself yet he still wants to transfer his welfarism from his parents to the government. This is totally uncalled. If we cannot learn to depend on ourselves, if we cannot cater for ourselves, if we see our own duty as the responsibility of others, then, we are beyond doubt, getting involved in the unemployment problem in the country.

Thirdly, laxity of entrepreneurial spirit. Graduates always crave to be someone else boss albeit they should be their own boss. Some argue that they have no knowledge of what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Others digest the fact that being an entrepreneur requires a lot of patience and taking risks which may not be bearable sometimes, coupled with the bottleneck of its yielding. Being self-employed and self established so that one will be self sustained is one of the yardsticks for reduction of unemployment in the country.


Fourthly, nonchalant attitude to petty business, Me? After these stressful years in school, I will now start another suffering by engaging myself in one small scale business. God forbids!! This is one of the causes of incessant increase in unemployment rate. Every graduate needs to be aware that little drop of rain, makes a mighty ocean. They need to know that Rome was not built in a day. Great things are not done usually in a twinkling of an eye. Today, every graduate wishes to work with Dangote. They forget he also started as an ordinary small scale businessman. Had it been Dangote never indulged in small scale business then he might not be as affluent as he is now. Petty trading doesn't only make one to be self efficient, it also endows one with self reliance.


In conclusion, I crave the indulgence of all. Having highlighted the ways the people and not the influence the most the high rate of unemployment. The panacea for the mentioned pitfalls are for students to strive hard for a an exceptional grade during their undergraduate years. Students should also be equipped with good knowledge of entrepreneurs and what it entails during their undergraduate years. Graduates are also enjoined to imbibe the ideology of petty business and stop waiting for white collar jobs which they have no idea when their wait will be over. People should also learn to take responsibilities and stop the being total reliance and dependence on the government because as there are civic rights, there are also civic duties.

My unbiased judges and my distinguished readers, having read this, you must concurred with me that for unemployment rate to reduce to infinitesimal and negligible rate, people not government should be blamed and called to order.

Thank you
REFERENCE
English dictionary

bestnaija.com

Tourshaw:
Ok Sir