By Tunde Oso
Citing KPMG Global Economy Outlook report, H1 2023, which stated that Nigeria’s unemployment rate will soar 40.6 per cent due to the inability of the economy to absorb about 4-5 million new entrants into the Nigerian job market every year, the Founder of Ekiti Youth Movement (EYM) and National Co-ordinator of Presidential Support Group for Asiwaju Tinubu (PRESUGAT), ‘Lanre Ajegbomogun, has charged President-Elect Bola Tinubu to vigorously continue the present administration’s diversification of the economy into agriculture, where millions of unemployed young Nigerians could be gainfully employed.
Agric, way out for revenue, employment
Still referring to the KPMG Report, Ajegbomogun, also an animal health consultant and security expert, said since growth in 2022 was driven by the non-oil sector like agriculture; said the anticipated fuel subsidy removal and the 2023 fiscal bill would mount pressure on domestic prices in 2023, which therefore requires the President-Elect to quickly assuage and calm the feelings of especially young Nigerians and engage the youths in agriculture, with a lot of incentives.
“Tinubu must in fact encourage every family and even civil servants to own a farm, even if it is a garden by one’s house, because when the problem of food is out of the way, a huge part of households’ problem is solved.”
Engage youths in sports as alternatives to crime
“Youths can be discouraged from crime or illegal activities through provision of recreational facilities. Let’s go back to the 1970s, 1980s eras when there were football and soccer competitions, Pepsi and other football academies’ competitions and the likes, which usefully engaged the youths, especially as we are now in the age where young men and women can legitimately ply their sports talents abroad. This way, youths can be organised and discouraged from indulging in criminal and illegal activities. The Federal Government can get the states and local governments to buy into this sports as alternatives to crime.”
Solving brain drain
The youth leader charged Tinubu to “Create enabling environment and provide supportive loans to young men and women to check and prevent brain drain and migration abroad. Graduates of agriculture don’t have business looking for white collar jobs if loan facilities are made available for them to go into agriculture. And when I say agriculture, I mean farming, livestock, cattle rearing and goat herding.
Tackling insecurity
Ajegbomogun said with escalating insecurity, all Nigerians “Should all be security conscious. In one’s neighbourhood, you can organise what I call ‘community patrol’, to watch dog the neighbourhood. There is even what we call ‘neighbourhood watch’, organise such group and have them work with policemen. Nigerians should take serious note of little details like lighting our streets and homes and even the neighbourhood.”
“I want to stress that there is need to collaborate and work with relevant public agencies that could assist in curbing crimes in the Nigerian society. Such agencies could be neighbourhood-based or it could be community-wide, but which ever way, they should be on ground to help solve crimes problems in the society. These include the Amotekun, Vigilante Group Of Nigeria, VGN, Ebubeagu, Hisbah et c. These para military groups could be converted into community police to fight the frightening rate of crime in the polity.
There’s the dictum: “Hear it,say it”, which he urged Nigerians to embrace, given the escalating rate of crime. He also appealed to the president elect to improve the welfare of police, which have suffered so much from the hands of past military governments.
Neighbourhood Watching
The EYM leader said fighting crimes, like internet scams, ritual killings, kidnapping, associated with youths, should begin from the community. Going forward, Ajegbomogun suggested that families should be made to keep their neighbourhood clean and tidy. “Everyone in the neighbourhood should participate in this exercise, ensure that, every old and abandoned vehicles within the neighbourhood is cleared. Old and uncompleted buildings, including run-down buildings should be kept clean and tidy. Community leaders should be made to effectively organise themselves to know where every member of the neighbourhood lives, disarmed criminals by ensuring that, every body lives an opened life within your neighbourhood.
Emphasis on crime prevention
A new national orientation where emphasis on crime prevention in the local neighbourhood should be pursued by the incoming Tinubu administration. Government should ensure that schools, and the law enforcement agencies, and the public health agencies, and libraries, even other workplaces, including religious institutions and others such agencies within your neighbourhood work assiduously to ensure that, crimes are prevented and they should not necessarily wait to react to crime or violence. What is expected fro the new government is the kind of policies they have put in place to ensure that, crime, if not prevented, should be reduced to its barest minimum.
Source: Vanguard
