by Mina Ogbanga

 

We need to revisit active engagement of our very active 75 percent youth work force, and not pursue their presence only when they need political whistle blowers

 

Happy Thanksgiving Holiday to every reader…in many ways,we need to set aside days,hours,weeks or months or simply make it a daily routine to thank God for his greatness, mercy and guidance amongst the many other things he does for us.

Recently,we were all shocked at the news that Onome, a boy in his late 20″s had just shot himself due to his 2 years search for employment post graduation. It was so sad that he had been thought to be the quiet and focused one, serious one brought up with his 2 other siblings by a single mum and fortunately, all three had the opportunity of receiving the best of everything. The first question on the lips of readers was”Where did he get the gun from?”

That is one question still being investigated as Onome after shooting himself, left behind a note expressing why he did it and leaving behind a loaded gun. Was this really suicide? Well, the world will soon find out as the Lagos Police will commence investigation. What is key though, is the fundamental issue registered in the note: real or imagined, which is unemployment. The impact of unemployment amongst young people, as well as old alike, is as diverse as the people being impacted. Unlike some scenario where even graduating from high school has for you room for an activity, employment, or further skills development, the same cannot be said of some African countries.

In the West, knowing that everyone becomes vulnerable when 75 percent of the population have nothing to do, incentives become the norm to encourage young people to pursue useful living one way or another, it is different for African countries and their citizens who even after graduating with a PHD, the absence of a ‘God father’, ‘Sister’ or ‘Mother’ may mainly make it near impossible to get a sustainable decent job for at least 40 percent of applicants. So in this regard, its less about qualifications, making some young people bother less about what they graduate in and rather, rush to ensuring their ‘uncle’ get them the great jobs.

It hurts so much because if there were help networks that enabled people air their views, share their troubles and express themselves appropriately without stigma, perhaps, people like Onome would be alive today as who knows, how he had fought the fight within before drastically expressing himself in that manner. It is in this light of this concern that I wish to draw strong attention to the appropriate ministries such as employment, youth, social welfare, etc, to reconsider their job descriptions and be more innovative in addressing issues of their fundamental primary responsibility.

Creating opportunities and framework for feedback, as people may just need ‘someone to talk to’ and also providing alternative skills so as to address the yawning employment divide. Parents cannot go through all they do and still have to watch their kids simply go ballistic for lack of employment. We need to revisit active engagement of our very active 75 percent youth work force, and not pursue their presence only when they need political whistle blowers.

Youths also owe themselves the responsibility of communicating, should such depressive situations arise, peer to peer discourse, parental communication, continued readings and all innovations need to be put in place to addressing the challenges posed by youth unemployment.

The Government has a whole lot to do for which I have laid out and emphasized in previous write ups. We will refuse to have another ‘Onome’ lose his life due to an avoidable reason; trainings can be done, networks enhanced and curriculum enriched. In all, we look forward to a more organised employment and engagement structure for a better tomorrow.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.