The Impact of Youth Joblessness on the Nigerian Economy
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 SUMMARY
This research work is motivated into examining the significant impact of youth unemployment on the Nigerian economy as it studied Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State. In carrying out the study, the researcher adopted both theoretical and analytical methods, using questionnaires as the main source of data. The conceptual framework are primarily theoretical, defining the concepts involved, and the analytical aspect of the work employed chi-square (X2) analysis to study the significant impact of youth unemployment on the Nigerian economy.
However, in an attempt to reach a research conclusion, null hypothesis (H0) were set and tested against the alternative hypothesis (H1) at 5% level of significance. The chi-square test which was used for the primary data showed that, ” X2 cal> X2 tab”. Hence from the analysis it shows that, the null hypothesis (H0) was rejected, while the alternative hypothesis (H1) was accepted. Therefore, revealing that youth unemployment introduces accelerating levels of social ills, political instability, pressures from deprivation leading to insecurity and threat to peace, increased insurgency, brain drain, limits economic and social progress, leads to depression, frustration and psychological problems.
Therefore, the study revealed that youth unemployment has greater harm on the economy than any good as it negatively affects Social and economic growth and development.
5.2 CONCLUSION
From all indications, youth unemployment is a menace in Nigeria and constitutes a real danger and a threat to Nigeria’s social, economic and political development. This is because these youths could be manipulated to undermine the stability of Nigeria’s democracy at any point in time. Against this background, there is the need by government at all levels, international community and other stakeholders to embark on massive job creation to take these youths off the streets. The research also placed a substantial hope in the power and potential of career guidance to transform the relationship between the educational system and the labour market. However, career guidance can only be a panacea for reducing the rate of youth unemployment in conjunction with technical and vocational education.
In addition to the aforementioned, the provision of an enabling environment, planned job creation, introduction of more entrepreneurship programmes and education, the diversification of the economy, establishment of labour intensive industries in the rural areas to reduce rural-urban drift, improvement in Research and Development (R&D). Moreover, the energy skills and aspirations of youths are invaluable assets that no country can afford to waste. Therefore, holding them to realise their full potential by gaining access to employment is a precondition for poverty eradication, sustainable development and lasting peace. No amount of career guidance will help if there are no employment opportunities, no entrepreneurial skills to facilitate self employment, and no technical and vocational skills needed for gainful employment.
Finally, democracy is a journey not a destination. It is a learning process for the Nigerian people and the Nigerian youths must feel the positive impact of democracy in their lives. The situation whereby only a few privileged persons in positions of authority benefit from this system of government at the expense of the impoverished masses portends a great and real danger that may incur the wrath of the unemployed youths in Nigeria if not addressed urgently. Nigerian leaders should strive to promote good governance in other to engender youth empowerment, employment and socio-economic development.
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
Based on the findings of this research work, the researcher therefore makes the following recommendations:
- The government should ensure that the policy measures be strictly adhered to by encouraging the various financial institutions to grant soft loans to potential and prospective youth entrepreneurs in order to encourage small scale businesses.
- Entrepreneurship education should be incorporated into the curricula of secondary schools and tertiary institutions. This will help shift the youth from being “job seekers” to “job creators” and also from social dependence to self-sufficient people. Hence, teachers at all levels of education must be properly rewarded and motivated in this regard.
- School-to-work transition skills should be introduced into the curricula of senior secondary school and tertiary institutions in the nation, specifically, for the final year students who are about to enter into competitive labour market. The training should create avenues for providing experience with a view to promoting and developing desirable work ethics and culture for national development. Youth should be trained to possess skills that are congruent with real labour market demands.
- Measures should be put in place to control the rate of population growth especially resulting from rural-urban migration since a number of youths were from distant areas and ended up in this area. This habit needs to be checked. Plans need to be made for resettlement and rehabilitation
- In promoting youth entrepreneurship, government should concentrate on those activities where youth are known to have comparative advantage. Globally, modern information and communication technologies are offering significant opportunities for job creation. The Nigerian government should therefore explore how the ICT industries can provide new jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for the youth. They could then take advantage of these exploration activities to mobilize the energies of the youth from destructive tendencies to productive people.
- Vocational and technical education should be introduced at all levels of education. It is an indisputable means of reducing youth unemployment since it is skilled-oriented and employment motivated.
- All elements of the society that is, the government, institutions, religious organizations and the family should would their bid in creating and promoting a conducive for investment.
- Infrastructures that will provide employment to thousands of people such as good roads, electricity, provision of portable drinking water, health care facilities etc should be embarked upon by the government in attestation to what they promised the people.
- The anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other statutory organization must locate the root causes of corruption and address it.
- Agricultural programme scheme should be established to stimulate the interest of the country’s youths toward agriculture.
5.4 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The research would have covered more ground but for some constraints such as; finance, insufficient and back dated data for analysis and the time factor..
5.5 SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDY
The impact youth unemployment on the Nigerian economy is a very large topic that cannot be exhausted within a single research and in a limited time frame such as this. Therefore, the researcher suggests the following topics for further research;
- The effect of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in the amelioration of youth unemployment in plateau state.
- The impact of entrepreneurship in employment generation for the youths in the Nigerian economy.
5.6 CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE
The research portrays the history and trend of unemployment Nigeria, its impact on the present day youth and proffers explanatory measures to ameliorating the menace of youth unemployment even in Africa.
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