In a space of two days, two Nigerian women allegedly trafficked to Lebanon were rescued after they cried out on the social media for help. While 23-year old Omolola Ajayi is said to be with the Nigerian Ambassador in Beirut after the rescue, waiting to be returned to Nigeria, 33-year old Gloria Bright, a mother of two, has reunited with her family in Kwara State.
Reading the pathetic stories of these women as they narrate their ordeal in the hands of the human traffickers and how they found themselves in Lebanon, one could note a common factor – poverty and unemployment. Being unemployed and poor with no hope for a better tomorrow, they grabbed the alluring offer of travelling to Lebanon to teach given to them by traffickers posing as benevolent agents, only turned to a slave and a house help respectively.
The truth is that Omolola and Gloria should count themselves among the very lucky few.  Many young Nigerians who left the shores of the country in search of greener pastures but found themselves in similar mucky waters never lived to tell the tales. So, it is kudos to the Federal Government, the Chairman, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and all who facilitated the rescue of these citizens from the lion’s den. It goes to show that Nigeria cares for her citizens.
But as has been asked by many, what has the nation done to ensure that the number of people that flee the country daily through all means in search of better life for themselves and their loved ones is reduced? The National Bureau Statistics report of 2019 pegged the unemployment rate in the country at 23.1 per cent and underemployment at 16.6 per cent with a projection that the unemployment rate will reach 33.5 per cent this year, 2020.  Young people account for two-thirds of these unemployed and underemployed populations.
Therefore, much as one will agree that human trafficking is one of the global human right challenges of our time and that some of those who emigrate Nigeria do so out of the erroneous belief that once they find themselves in Europe, America, United Arab Emirates and other foreign countries they are made, what is being done to make them have faith that a better future awaits them in Nigeria and how is it being done?
At a function in Abuja recently, the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, decried the alarming unemployment rate in the country. He noted that various government social intervention programmes targeted at reducing youth unemployment and eradicating poverty have been implemented by different administrations since Nigeria gained independence in 1960.  He listed some of the programmes to include National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), implemented between 1972 and 1973, the current National Social Investment Programme  (NSIP), which has been ongoing since 2017, embedded in the nation’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017 – 2020, yet unemployment rate and poverty levels are on steady increase.
He asked, “What is government and other stakeholders not doing right? What changes are needed in the policies, plans and strategies? What action areas need priority attention? What roles should different stakeholders play and what other options are not being exploited? How do we break the resilience of high unemployment rate in the country?
Sincere answers to these questions by both government, the private sector and other stakeholders will go in tackling the unemployment challenge facing the country.  As earlier stated, while government may claim to be making effort to address the huge economic problem, the question of why and how the effort is being made must be ascertained. What is the how and why behind the NPower project, the Tradermoni and other projects meant to tackle unemployment by both current and previous administrations?
The role of the private sector in addressing the pressing unemployment problem in the country cannot be over emphasized.  They have the capacity to create jobs and have been doing that but should be encouraged to do more through business-friendly policies and laws. The newly signed Financial Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari specifically designed to support the implementation of the 2020 budget, create enabling environment for business and investment by the private sector and also reform the tax regime by amending several Acts has been described by many economists and financial analysts as a right step in the right direction.  It is our hope that the law will lead to boom in the private sector and ultimately, more jobs for the citizens.,
However, good economic laws and policies without security and peaceful society will not yield the desired results. Hence, the urgent need to address the disturbing security situation across the nation. Our political leaders at all levels should ensure good governance devoid of injustice, unbalanced government, nepotism and favoritism, capable of destabilizing the nation and thereby discouraging investors from investing in the country.
Indeed, the unemployment challenge which is making many brilliant, hardworking and purpose-driven youths leave the country in droves must be addressed through various approaches. Entrepreneurship must be advocated both as a course in our secondary and tertiary institutions and among the youth generally. Our youth must be made to acquire some skills as that is a catalyst for driving economic prosperity and staying competitive in today’s technology-driven world.
Our youth also have to be sensitized and educated on the inherent danger in migrating to other countries through any means to eke a living. All that glitters is not gold, they say. As Omolola advised, people should be cautious of travelling by strange persons who pose as benevolent agents.  One sure thing is that despite how difficult things are in Nigeria, many are still succeeding and, with hard work, more will.

Calista Ezeaku