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- Writer, Isiyaku Muhammed
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The report of the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, which showed that there was an increase in unemployment in the country by 5.4 percent in the first three months of 2024, continues to raise the awareness of people across the country.
The new report means that there will be 300,000 more people on top of the five million who are unemployed by the end of 2023 across the country, which has caused controversy among people at a time when life is tough in Nigeria.
In August, young people in Nigeria held a protest against the pressure of life, where thousands of young people came out on the streets of the country to show their displeasure at the way the country’s economy and their own economy have been destroyed.
The data released by the agency shows that urban areas have 6 percent of the unemployed, while rural areas have 4.3 percent as the agency’s report showed on Tuesday.
Unemployment refers to the number of people who are unemployed and struggling to find work.
What causes unemployment in Nigeria?
It is a well-known fact that Nigerian youths are suffering from unemployment, a situation that becomes more and more evident every time a job vacancy is released in the country.
However, in many cases, some of the workers are among those who are looking for a job, which makes it very difficult to identify those who do not have a job and the origin of living in the city, even though according to the NBS statistics, there is a report those who work that does not meet their needs.
The BBC contacted an economist and lecturer at the College of Science and Technology in Kano, Malam Lawal Habib Yahaya, who said there are many factors that cause the problem of unemployment in Nigeria.
“The biggest is the way the country’s economy is going backwards. If the country’s economy is going down, and the industries are having problems, they are either collapsing or having problems in producing the right products that are the ones that are needed, ” he said.
“Then they don’t sell the products they made at home but take them to foreign countries. Such problems will make companies to reduce the number of workers.”
The expert added that the lack of good wages also contributes to increasing unemployment.
“If the salary paid for the work is very low, it can be said that the work is too cheap. doing more is better than not working,” he said.
He also gave an example of how workers in many Nigerian cities such as Abuja, Abuja are quitting their jobs because their salary ends up in car money only, not to mention the cost of food and other necessities of life.
“This also causes unemployment because people leave their jobs because the work does not meet their needs. That is to say, it is good to understand that unemployment and the economy go together. That is why the development of the country depends on how people get jobs and get paid from the job, and industries get to produce goods.”
The expert said that this will improve the country’s economy, “goods will become more abundant, prices will decrease, and life will improve”.
When will we get out of this trap?
Usually when it comes to a problem, the focus is on how to solve it.
Regarding how to solve the problem of unemployment in Nigeria, Malam Lawal Habib Yahaya said that it depends on the state of the country’s leadership.
According to him: “These things that I said before, are the ones that should be corrected. It is the salary that is paid to the workers that is increasing, that is, the money that they earn is paying for their needs.
“Then the country’s economy should be improved, so that things are made. If the economy improves, everything will improve.”
Is there anything that the citizens should do? The expert said that most of the unemployment problems are related to the economic crisis, and the responsibility is on the government.
“They travel together. If one increases, the other will also increase. They are citizens like camels and camels,” he said.
“If the government does something good, industries will produce goods, and other economic activities will develop.”
