OSIWA faults government’s policies on job creation

The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) has described entrepreneurship programmes by the Federal Government as mere palliative measures that are not addressing the unemployment challenge.

The Country Officer OSIWA, Udo Ilo, who stated this while delivering a keynote address at a Job Fair organised by the Abuja Global Shapers, bemoaned the high number of university graduates that are roaming the streets without jobs.

He pointed out that the entrepreneurship programmes by the Federal Government are mere palliative measures and is not attacking the root cause of the problem, pointing out that if there are good roads, electricity among other infrastructure a lot of youths would not be looking up to government for jobs as they would be able to venture in any business of their choice.

He said: “The fundamentals are very dysfunctional and the government must understand that these palliatives will not solve the problem. What government should do is get the country out of the recession and have a thriving economy that would allow the nation to expand.

“We need to go back to drawing board, the economic policies are not working, we need to provide a good working environment for investors to come in, Nigeria is rank very low on ease of doing business so its difficult to establish business in Nigeria unless government work on it investors will not come in.”

Ilo stressed the need for government to provide incentive for investors as the country is very broke and is not earning enough revenue or foreign currency to reflate the economy.

The Director Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme of the Abuja Global Shapers, Olajumoke Adekeye said the plan of the programme was to bridge the wide gap and disconnect between the employers and Nigerian graduates saying most employers see Nigerian graduates as unemployable.

She urged Nigerian graduates to tailor their Curriculum Vitae to what the employers want.

She said: “Job seekers should note the job description, assess themselves, assess their experience. Also, network and talk with people that are already on the job.