The recent disclosure by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, that the federal government plans to create five million jobs for Nigerian youths, is a soothing balm for the nation?s teeming youth.

The initiative, when implemented, will not only be a catalyst for the nation?s economic advancement but also serve as a non-kinetic approach to tackling insecurity, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, Lakurawa banditry in the North-west, separatist agitations in the South-east and South-west as well as the militancy in the littoral Niger-Delta.

The five million job initiative, according to the minister, is designed to tackle youth unemployment and equip young Nigerians with the necessary skills for economic empowerment.

Speaking during a media interview on Monday, Olawande emphasised that the programme would be driven through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), a digital training platform aimed at empowering over seven million youths in two years.

He stated that the government, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, had set up strategic programmes, like the Labour Employment and Entrepreneurship Programme (LEEP), to facilitate job creation and skill development.

?This initiative is not just a promise; it is a practical step towards ensuring Nigerian youths have access to sustainable employment opportunities,? the minister stated.

He urged young people to leverage the platform for training in entrepreneurship, digital technology, and vocational skills.

The five million jobs initiative aligns with the government?s broader strategy to boost productivity and economic growth. Olawande said that with proper implementation, the programme would significantly reduce unemployment, drive innovation and empower young Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national development.

In the same vein, the Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) and a US-based SBTS Group LLC, have signed an agreement that will create 50,000 immediate jobs and up-skill no fewer than five million Nigerian youths by 2030.

The Head, DBI Public Affairs, Akin Ogunlade, said the groups had already announced the commencement of the official launch of the strategic partnership in Abuja in February.

He said the partnership is aimed at equipping Nigerian youths with essential digital skills to compete in the global job market, as well as aligning with the federal government?s National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020-2030) and the three million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative led by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.

The partnership, according to the President/CEO DBI, Mr. Daser David, seeks to up-skill over five million Nigerian youths by 2030, and create about 50,000 direct and indirect jobs within a short time.

?Nigerian youths are the catalyst for transforming our nation?s economic future. To pivot from an agriculture-dependent economy to a thriving digital landscape, they require targeted IT upskilling?, he said.

This initiative bridges opportunity gaps by providing after-school programmes in digital literacy and vocational training for underserved youth, empowering them to compete in a tech-driven job market and fuelling inclusive economic growth.

On his part, the CEO of SBTS Group, Evelyn Lewis, stressed the company?s commitment to empowering Nigerian youth, noting that ?despite the negativity and sense of hopelessness often portrayed, there are abundant opportunities for youth in Nigeria.

?We are excited to collaborate with DBI in advancing the federal government?s agenda to train and equip unemployed youth with digital skills and comprehensive ICT knowledge, empowering them for a brighter future,? Lewis said.

By integrating over 400 new digital courses into training curricula and promoting hands-on learning, the DBI-SBTS partnership is set to drive economic diversification of Nigeria through ICT; while the initiative?s strong focus on digital entrepreneurship will further accelerate Nigeria?s transition into a tech-driven economy, ensuring sustainable job creation and long-term growth.

With the facility upgrades, BPO center rollouts, and nationwide training programmes underway, this collaboration represents a landmark effort in positioning Nigeria?s youth for success in the global digital economy.

Coming on the heels of the warning by the Catholic Bishops? Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) on the consequences of not addressing the challenge of youth unemployment in Nigeria, the federal government?s programme to create five million jobs for Nigerian youth is quite commendable.

In his opening address at the First 2025 CBCN Plenary Assembly on Sunday, March 9, in Abuja, the CBCN President Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji linked the surge in crime in Africa?s most populous nation to joblessness.

?Unemployment among the youth is a ticking time bomb, as frustration and disillusionment make them easy targets for radicalisation and recruitment into violent groups,? Ugorji said.

The Local Ordinary of Nigeria?s Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri lamented, ?This dismal atmosphere seems to condemn many jobless youths to a life of purposelessness and despair. It is pushing them towards criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, drug abuse, cybercrime (popularly called ?yahoo plus?), and cultism. Many are seeking extraordinary spiritual powers for instant prosperity without working for it.?

Blueprint cannot agree more with the bishop, the unemployment rate in the country, particularly among the youth, is alarming, Data by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that youth unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 21.40 percent from 2014 until 2024, reaching an all-time high of 53.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 and a record low of 6.50 percent in the second quarter of 2024.

Consequently, we urge government at all levels and the organised private sector including Nigeria?s international partners to collaborate in resolving the youth unemployment crisis, which poses an existential threat to the country. (Blueprint)

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