The federal government has tasked the organized labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) and other stakeholders in the sector on mentorship programme for the teeming unemployed youth across the country.

The special assistant to the president on youth and students affairs, Hon Nasir Sa’idu Adhama, made the call yesterday unbehalf of the government at a one-day interactive programme in Abuja organized by his office with the theme “1^st Youth Employment Skills Interactive Session in Commemoration of 2016 Workers’ Day”.

According to him, “Our youth need mentors to guide and give them direction; they needs skills to be employed and we have people with those skills in our offices, organisations, and factories.

He said, “Our strategy therefore, is to partner with those that are already engaging the labour force to provide mentorship, training and guidance to our youth, to build those skills needed to absorb them into the labour force or at least, equip them with skills that they can use to live productive lives.

“I therefore, call on the NLC, TUC, and other stakeholders to adopt an approach of ‘One Unemployed Youth, One Mentor’ as a means of bridging the skills gap that our youth lack, to remain gainfully employed or run their own small business.”

On his goodwill message the acting executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Dr. Shettima Bukar-Abba, tasked youths on skill acquisition while urging the government to develop a curriculum of education that emphasis on skills than on certificate.

He also condemn the increasing rate of casualization in both the public and private sector, which according to him should be stopped to enable the unemployed youth have gainful employments.

On his part, the president of the TUC, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, in his goodwill message called for creation of job opportunities and the return of scholarship for youth as a means of harnessing their potentials to build a brighter future for the nation.

The chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists FCT chapter, Comrade Paul Ella Abeche, while speaking advocated for a conducive working environment for Nigerian youths to enable them contribute their quota towards nation building.

Speaking for the unemployed at the event, the national president, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Comrade Solomon Adodo, called for synergy between the government and the teeming unemployed youths in order to secure the future, which according to him is now.

While expressing confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Adodo, said the time to correct the ills bedeviling the country is now. “If we don’t seek to correct the ills today, the future will remain bleak and gloomy.”

Speaking further, Adhama said, “The event has been organized to discuss the challenges that Nigerian youth are facing in the already saturated labour environment, with a view to engaging stakeholders to profer solutions on how to empower our youth, to make them employable and productive citizens.

“It needs no emphasizing the fact that Nigeria is today at a very critical moment, when many of its youth are either unemployed or unemployable, due to lack of skills that are needed to perform certain tasks.

“The National Bureau of Statistics Unemployment/Underemployment Report for Q4 2015, reveals that our of a total youth labour force population of 36.7 million (representing 47.7% of total labour force of 76.9mn in Nigeria), a total of 14.8 million of them were either unemployed or underemployed in Q4 2015.

“I’m personally not comfortable with this development and I’m sure neither are you. It is for this reason that the President and Commander-in-Chief, has accorded great priority to youth employment. You are all aware of the unprecedented allocation from our 2016 budget that is being committed to youth empowerment.

“The administration’s policy for the youth is not only to provide employment but to create opportunity for self-employment in the agriculture and solid mineral sectors of the economy, through a consolidated and coordinated approach by various government agencies, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Bank of Industry and a host of others.

“I would like to seize this opportunity to felicitate with the Nigeria Labour Congress and its teeming members, on this year’s Workers’ Day which was celebrated nationwide two days ago, and to commend the NLC leadership for their uprightness and tenacity in supporting the administration’s renewed war against corruption. Some cynics may not understand the connection between corruption and absence of good governance.

“The fight against corruption will not only cut wasteful spending, misappropriation and diversion of public funds to personal use, but also free up large sums for capital projects and other laudable programmes of the present administration; which have direct bearing on the well-being of Nigerians.

“Our youth need mentors to guide and give them direction; they needs skills to be employed and we have people with those skills in our offices, organisations, and factories.

He said, “Our strategy therefore, is to partner with those that are already engaging the labour force to provide mentorship, training and guidance to our youth, to build those skills needed to absorb them into the labour force or at least, equip them with skills that they can use to live productive lives.

“I therefore, call on the NLC, TUC, and other stakeholders to adopt an approach of ‘One Unemployed Youth, One Mentor’ as a means of bridging the skills gap that our youth lack, to remain gainfully employed or run their own small business.”

Once again, I congratulate the Nigerian workers and the Nigerian youth, as we partner to change Nigeria and make it better than we met it. Aluta Continua!

By Ebriku John Friday, Abuja