- Stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to provided adequate infrastructure to tap the $9 trillion resources in the maritime industry. They said this was the only way one million jobs could be accessed by the jobless youths.
Speaking at an Employment Clinic, organised by Ms Ronke Kosoko, the stakeholders consisting investors in the maritime sector, terminal operators, politicians, students among others, said lack of infrastructure is one of banes of availability of job opportunity. They said if the government can put infrastructure in place, then the investors can tap on that to create employment. They said: “The rate of unemployment among Nigerian youth is alarming and looks unsolvable despite abundant natural and human resources the country is abundantly blessed with.
Consequently many youth as a result of this ugly situation have taken to robbery and indecent acts. One such resources is the abundant sea – maritime industry, which is capable of providing millions of jobs for the nation. The stakeholders said to tame youth unemployment using maritime industry, Project One Million Jobs, an initiative by Employment Clinic, exposes the youth job opportunities in the maritime industry.
After the two-day event held at Rockview Hotel in Apapa, top maritime company executives, port stakeholders, politicians and business consultants who were resources persons interacted with the participants mostly youth drawn from secondary school, higher institutions and graduates, identified the impediments to failure of the industry in providing jobs and why Nigerian youth find it difficult to get employment.
They noted thtat the maritime industry, with its vast resources, could not provide jobs for unemployed Nigerian youth because it lacks basic infrastructure as identified by resources persons. The resource persons maintained that the government could not provide job but the enabling environment and infrastructure.
It is also identified that government has concentrated much on providing physical building infrastructure than social (human) infrastructure, which derives the physical building infrastructure. Many Nigerian youth are unemployed because they lack requisite knowledge and skill of jobs they often seek. They also lack good education; inability to identify who they are and what they want to be. More so, the youth cannot identify opportunities or turn opportunities to wealth. They urged parents to allow their wards freely chose profession that will broaden their knowledge.
“Government should provide the enabling environment – infrastructure and good laws – to grow nation’s economy particular the maritime industry.
Government is advised to balance provision of infrastructure between physical and human capital development, while the youth must acquire good education and skills in various fields of maritime.
The Convener, Ms Ronke Kosoko urged the youth be courageous, bold with the ability to think of the box.
