The Civil Society Coalition On Economic Growth and Employment in Rivers State has expressed concerns over the high unemployment rate in the country, and advised government at all levels to put measures in place to address the problem.
The coalition, which made its position known while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, yesterday, said going by the report of the National Bureau of Stastics (NBS), Nigeria has a national unemployment rate of 33.3 percent and under-employment rate of 22.8 percent while the youth population has 42.5 percent unemployment rate and 21 percent under-employment rate.
These national figures, according to the coalition, speak to the fact that the right policies have not been put in place at the national level and sub-national levels to strengthen economic growth that should lead to the creation of jobs and employment across boards.
Addressing newsmen on behalf of the group, Deborah Effiong of Arise for Gender and Livelihood Initiative (ALIVE), said Nigeria’s unemployment rate has quadrupled over the last six and seven years, as the country has gone through two recessions and a global pandemic that saw to the crippling of economic activities.
She said further that Nigeria will need to create five million jobs annually for the next 10years to cover its unemployment gap, according to the International Monetary Fund(IMF).
Effiong expressed worry that the NBS report states that Rivers State has a labour force of 3, 921, 860 while a total number of the unemployed was put at 1, 714, 189, ranking second behind Lagos State in the second quarter of 2020.
Against this backdrop, the coalition advised the state government to give priority attention to human capital development, job creation, entrepreneurial and economic activities.
“ There is need to address the high rate of unemployment in Rivers State as an opportunity to understand the drivers of unemployment in the state, identify the key sectors that can absorb a high number of the readily available labour force and revitalise the economy of the state by creating jobs through economic activities in the state, through people-centred policies,’’ the coalition said.
It further called on the state government to adopt a more effective approach towards the reduction of crime, insecurity and illegal oil bunkering through the creation of jobs that can absorb the teeming youths pulled into these criminal enterprises.
The coalition also advised the government to create a business enabling environment for the private sector to thrive and strengthen Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through grants and loans, and recommended that the candidates of political parties in the run-up to the 2023 governorship election should prioritise economic growth and job creation as part of their policy framework for the administration of the state in the coming years.
The Civil Society Coalition On Economic Growth and Employment in Rivers State is a coalition of Civil Society groups, the academia, youth groups, women rights organisations and community groups that have coalesced with the sole purpose of addressing and highlighting the issue of economic growth and employment in the state.
Among other top officers of the coalition at the event included Inyingi Irimagha of Gender and Development Action (GADA); Akeodi Allswell Ali of Feel Rivers Media Network (FR News); Raisa Senibo of Borikiri Community Advocacy Group; and Amb Vincent Gbosi of Centre for Social Justice and Environmental Rights Protection (CESJERP).