Some Nigerian youths have urged the authorities to be intentional about job creation and employment generation as the proper panacea to the inordinate quest for riches and youth restiveness.

There was a convergence of consensus on this position among some youths who spoke to Kristina Reports on the issue of strategic engagement of youths in nation building.

A visibly angry young man, who only identified himself as Kenny, told Kristina Reports on Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Okrika, Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State that youths lack the funds to foot their bills to pay and pursue their aspirations due to lack of jobs.

“We cannot totally blame them for this attitude. What do you expect a graduate to do when there’s no job opportunity and he has to foot his bills?”

“…and nobody should give me that trash of ‘think of what you can do for your country’. How has my country helped me? I pay my tax and yet nothing to show forth.”

Kenny, who hails from Akpajo in neighbouring Eleme LGA but resides in Okrika, stated that the fear of God in him is what is restraining him from indulgin in unwholesome ventures.

“If no be fear of God, I know wetin I for don do with my life by now. But I get conscience and I be human being. Once government create better job opportunities, you go see say yahoo go reduce.”

On her part, Rossanah Eneyo told Kristina Reports that the reasons for this anomaly are one too many and obviously inexhaustible.

“Some people had a very wrong upbringing, they were not properly trained, others were pressured into doing it because of hunger and hardship but the main cause of it is unemployment.”

“We cannot totally blame them. There’s nothing you won’t do just to be relevant.”

Eneyo, however, beckoned on government at all levels to prioritize job creation and employment generation, urging the various security agencies to also put in stringent effort to ensure these anomalies are nipped up in the bud.

“Combat hardship and unemployment, it may not eradicate it but it will reduce it to it’s minimum. The EFCC should also but their best foot forward to bring these fraudsters to book.”

Also reacting to the state of things in the country, Susan Ipalibo warned that the consequences of youth employment are enormous, stressing the need for the relevant authorities to ameliorate the situation.

“There’s no need to kill to get money, that is a sign of greed. If we can work hard, we should leave the rest for God.”