Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has identified entrepreneurship has the greatest antidote to addressing the worrisome spate of youth unemployment across the country.
Akeredolu who stated this during a stakeholders summit in Akure titled “Youth unemployment, #ENDSARS and Aftermath: The way Forward” held at the International Culture and Event Center (DOME) on Wednesday.
The Governor also called for the establishment of technical schools and trade centres to produce youths who are self-reliance and employers of Labour.
Akeredolu who maintained that the benefits of entrepreneurship cannot be over- emphasised stressed the need for government at all levels to inculcate and entrench the culture of entrepreneurship among the youth.
He also stressed the need for the country to chart a new course noting that no state government, whether national or sub-national, can employ all the unemployed youths in the country.
While lamenting that Nigeria population keeps increasing on daily basis, Akeredolu advocated the enactment of a population law, saying a nation without population law is not prepared for growth.
He said:”We must be able to control our population through population law. We are growing in population like China. But in China today, there is a law that you can’t have more than one child. We must be deliberate about this population law.”
Governor Akeredolu said that the country must also look into the continuous registration and approval of Universities, adding that establishment of technology institutions and trade centers should be encouraged to provide self-sustainable employment for the youths.
According to the Governor, the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) must be retooled to engage the youths productively in a way that part of the service year should include mandatory military training for self defense and more months for entrepreneurship through technical and technological training and trade centers.
He said the move would empower the youths and discourage the massive number of youths jostling for government jobs across the country.
Governor Akeredolu disclosed that before the #ENDSARS situation, his administration has created the Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA) to empower the young entrepreneurs in the state.
While begging the youths to shun violence and vandalism, the Governor charged the religious leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to engage the youths and discourage them from act of destruction and vandalism.
The Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Tayo Alasoadura said the gathering was important to dialogue on critical issues, adding that the President has directed members of the Federal Executive Council to liaise with their state government to hold such meeting.
He pointed that the bane of the society is the increasing youth unemployment, stressing that the FEC has been particularly about awarding contracting that would benefit the vast majority of the youths by creating job opportunities.
Alasoadura said the problem of youths unemployment has been with the country a long time ago before the President Buhari administration came on board.
He lamented that the private sector that was supposed to create more jobs for the people has been destroyed and ailing, thereby putting all the tasks and responsibilities on the government.
The discussants at the summit include; Mr. Oluyemi Fasipe, #EndSars Advocate, Rt. Hon. Smith Ikumapayi, Speaker, Ondo State Youths Parliament, Pastor Akin Olotu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agric and Agric business, Special Adviser to the Governor on Entrepreneurship, Summy Smart Francis and others.
The event was attended by traditional rulers across the state led by the Chairman of the Council of Obas, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Religious leaders including Alhaji Aladesawe, Chairman of Ondo state League of Imams and Alfas and Chief Imam of Owo kingdom, Alhaji Abdul Akeem Akorede, Chief Imam of Akure Empire and others.
