A don at the Kaduna State University, Dr Oluremi Abimbola, yesterday advised the federal government to evolve measures to tackle rising unemployment and reduce hardship in the country.
Abimbola gave the advice while delivering a lecture titled: “Addressing graduate unemployment through entrepreneurship’’ in Auchi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture was organised by Centre for Entrepreneurship Development Programme (CEDAP), Federal Polytechnic Auchi, Edo.
Abimbola, who is also the Head of Department of Sociology, said that most Nigerians were depressed due to the current hardship they are experiencing.
“A lot of Nigerians are experiencing hardships largely due to unemployment.
“It is also well known that the youth unemployment has been aggravated by flawed and inconsistent public policies on employment,” he said.
The don, however, said that the rate of unemployment in the country had risen to 50 per cent, while urging government to urgently address the situation.
Abimbola noted that although youth unemployment was a global problem, but various government policies of different administrations in the nation had failed to address the issue.
He advised the government to re-examine some of its policies with a view to reducing the level of unemployment in the country.
Abimbola said that entrepreneurship occupied an important place in the process of development of any nation, adding that it had become a key concept in social, economic and human development.
“Entrepreneurial activity serves to reposition dying industries, provides new jobs to compensate for employment problems created by corporate restructuring and downsizing and to generally enhance economic flexibility and growth.
“It is also a catalyst for technological progress and as key to self renewing economies,” he said. (NAN)