Unemployment Brought insecurity in Nigeria Says Sanusi

 The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi has spoken out his mind on Wednesday about the insecurity in the country as a result of high level of unemployment as well as improper orientation of the youth been a major threats to the growth of the economy .

Sanusi, in a paper presented at the 1st Ochendu Youth Empowerment Lecture Series held in Umuahia, Abia State, also listed lack of policy on social safety nets, poor societal attitude to technical and vocational education development, as well as inadequate teaching facilities in formal/vocational schools as obstacles to economic growth.

The central bank governor, who spoke on the theme: ‘Youth empowerment as panacea to insecurity in Nigeria,’ lamented the high unemployment rate in the country.

In the paper, a copy of which was emailed to our correspondent, Sanusi said unemployment had risen from below 15 per cent in the period 2002-2008 to over 20 per cent from 2009 to 2011.

He said, “Insecurity, as noted earlier, can be triggered and fuelled by factors such as unemployment, among others. The unemployment situation in Nigeria has remained worrisome. It has risen from below 15 per cent in the period 2002-2008 to over 20 per cent in the period 2009-2011, according to information from the National Bureau of Statistics.

“This coincided with the period of heightened insecurity situation in the country. There are many major contending perspectives to the understanding of insecurity in Nigeria.

“These include ethno-religious conflicts, politically-based violence, economic-based violence, corruption, unemployment, maladministration ethics, faulty culture and political interference.”

He added, “Insecurity has taken various forms in different parts of the country in recent times. Predominantly, it is armed robbery in the South-West, while cross-border bandits and terrorism have become manifested in the North.

“In the South-South and East, the act of kidnapping, youth restiveness and other violence have become rampant. Specifically, the spate of kidnapping across the country and the incessant wave of crime and armed robbery points to the fact that insecurity is a big challenge to development in Nigeria.”

He blamed the high poverty level in the country on the Federal Government’s inability to provide a social security programme that would solve the basic problem of the people as it was being done in other developed countries.

Source: Punch

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