Executive Director of Women Advocate Research and Documentation Center, Mrs. Abiola Akiode, says 60 per cent of the Nigerian population is jobless.
Akiode lamented that 60 percent of the country’s population, which is dominated by the youths are unemployed due to inability to create job without relying on the government.
Stating this while inaugurating the Odeda Youth Center at the Odeda Local Government Secretariat, Abeokuta-Ogun State, she said, “Women and youths are facing multi-dimensional problems of the cultural inhibition, practice and belief which in turn affect their social, economic and political aspiration and participation in governance and leadership in Nigeria.
Youth constitute about 60 percent of the population yet they do not partake effectively in the governance of the country because unemployment rate still remain high and is there is high poverty among youth and women on Nigeria”
She added, “Nigerian youths generally are faced with the problem of communities’ exclusion from discussion making, key involvement in socio economic activities, lack of access to information on government programmes and policies, high youth unemployment, under representation of youth in government and decision making bodies, lack of socials amenities and services.”
The director said that the essence of the Youth Accountability Parliament is to create a platform that would involve young men and women in government process at the local level.
“YAP is to support youth organization for policy change for the best practice all over the world; the project has created an effective young people movement working with paralegal in the community to lead change and progress.
“YAP comprises 100 youths from different constituencies in the community where it was established, Odeda Youth Center will serve as a platform for skill development training, capacity building and youth empowerment program” she said.
Akiode said the country must tackle inequalities between men and women to make the most potential and sustainable development thereby admonishing Nigerian youths to be self-innovative.
