Unemployment: FG tasks youth on creativity, skills acquisition

The Federal Government has tasked Nigerian youth to embrace vocational and skills acquisition as a way of addressing the rising challenges of unemployment in the country.

The call was made against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic that has pulled the world economy far backwards, which Nigeria is not an exception, with the consequential job losses across sectors of the economy.

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Arc Sonny Echono, spoke while declaring open a two-day workshop on cultural creativity for youth skills development organised by Nigerian National Commission (NATCOM) for UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation), on Thursday, in Abuja.

Hundreds of youths were expected to be trained in carpentry, bakery, shoe and bag making, cloth making and beats making at the workshop, which the Permanent Secretary, recommended that it be carried out across the states in order to empower Nigerian youths on cultural creativity for sustainable development and self-employment.

He noted that in today’s highly competitive world, the success of the economy of a nation depends increasingly on the ability to create and innovate, saying one of the approaches of the present administration towards achieving its agenda of Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) is skill acquisition, and job creation for its teeming youth population and sustainable development.

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Echono added that one great weapon to successfully fight unemployment in Nigeria lies in cultural creativities for youth skills development, “hence creativity contributes to building open, socially inclusive and pluralistic societies when diverse sources of inspiration and innovation are released and nurtured.

He said: “Achieving inclusive and equitable quality education and life-long learning opportunities requires a collective commitment to investing in culture and creativity.

“Local learning, innovation and development processes are strengthened when new talents are nurtured. The youths can venture into different trades and make a career out of these gifts.

“Government agenda which aims at reducing poverty has also aided the implementation of Arts and Culture as a veritable means for creating jobs and sustainable development especially for the youths, hence the establishment of cultural industries in the states,” he said.

Secretary-General of NATCOM-UNESCO, Mr Olagunju Lateef, in his remark, said the white-collar job is no longer the fashion of the day and that Nigeria Nigeria should move in the direction of joining the modern global practice in creativity and self-reliance.

Lateef said in line with UNESCO operational strategy on youths, 2014-2021 special focus would continue to be given to youths, particularly young creators and cultural professionals.

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