Unemployment Haram And The Cricket By Prince Charles Dickson

There is no disappearing trick better
than the availability of a dense forest
to disappear into; there is no
sacrifice more efficacious than having
many people on one’s side; there is
no “The gods have elevated me” that
is higher than the back of a horse.
During the week”…Former President
Olusegun Obasanjo called on the
Federal Government to develop the
agricultural sector of the Nigerian
economy in order to create job
opportunities for the youth.
Delivering a lecture entitled
‘Managing agriculture as a business
to unlock Nigeria’s agricultural
potential’ at the Agricultural and Rural
Management Training Institute
(ARMTI), Ilorin Mr. Obasanjo said
going by the number of graduates
produced in Nigeria annually, the
government must develop new ways
of job creation…”
He summed it up saying “Nigeria was
sitting on keg of gun powder.” The
fact is that whether we like it or not
even the devil tells irrefutable truth,
the motive is the only thing that can
be questioned.
There is a growing ‘unemployment
haram’, it is not just about unlocking
the agricultural sector, it is about
virtually all socio-economic and
ethno-political spheres of the nation
in terms of youthful productivity.
I hardly take to heart when past
leaders talk about matters they had
opportunities to have addressed yet
failed to solve. The  tip of the iceberg
however is that if we look at  this, we
know it is worse……the National
Population Commission (NPC) has
said the country’s population has
risen from the 140,431,790, to
167,912,561 as at October 2011. This
represents an annual population
growth rate of 5.6 million people.
The Ministry of Youth Development,
added that there are 68 million
unemployed youths in Nigeria, that’s
like some 43% of the youth
population.
And with approximately 300,000
graduates enrolled in the NYSC
scheme, excluding the number of
graduates that do not make it for
various reasons, the real harem is
simply building up.
Today we are engrossed in the
amnesty for Boko Haram, when the
truth remains that a larger Haram is
staring at us in the face, and I
honestly hope we will be able to
provide amnesty.
I need not remind us of the rise in the
rate of criminality, vices and bestial
acts. However the worrying part is,
that 7 out of 10 apprehended
criminals ‘have seemingly’ legitimate
reasons for their crimes of theft,
robbery and kidnap and are graduates
of one form or the other.
Our system is not working from
South-North, Onitsha-Kano, Kaduna-
Abeokuta, it is full of fallacy, and new
universities are not in any way the
solution, as the established ones keep
dropping in standard.
Questions have been asked regarding
the curriculum of our schools in
relation to job preparedness and
entrepreneurial skills teaching. While
most schools are now teaching
courses in peace studies, conflict
negotiation and terrorism, very few
are preparing employable products.
After an average of six years for a
four year programme of study, a
young grad can barely do a resume/
curriculum vitae, he simply copies a
template. If given a take-off grant she
barely knows what to do beyond a
Blackberry Smartphone and Brazilian
hair.
Permit me to ask, where do you live,
have you noticed the flock of young
people around–they are defined by
the phrase “I am waiting for
admission, I am waiting for NYSC, I
am hoping I get the job.” They are
increasing, from ages 18-35; some
still with their parents, no hope best
describes the situation, idle hands
waiting the devil’s instruction, with
the proliferation of small arms; there
is a willing population growing and
the repercussions are better
imagined.
The growing haram of unemployment
is not just about the government
providing jobs, not at all, it is about
an enabling environment that
facilitates private enterprise that
encourages entrepreneurial spirit
without a monopoly.
We have a population that can be our
blessing or ultimately our
undoing.  The government through its
spokes-people should stop all the lies
and know that there is no
disappearing trick better than the
availability of a dense forest to
disappear into; projections to create
4 million jobs in two years, and
significantly grow the economy
according to Olusegu Aganga is a fat
lie.
Let me end with this insightful story,
a man and his friend were in a city,
walking through the street. It was
during the noon lunch hour and the
streets were filled with people. Cars
were blowing their horns, taxis were
squealing around corners, sirens
were wailing, and the sounds of the
city were almost deafening. Suddenly,
the man said to his friend, “I hear a
cricket.”
His friend said, “What? You must be
crazy. You couldn’t possibly hear a
cricket in all of this noise!” “No, I’m
sure of it,” the man said, “I heard a
cricket.”
“That’s crazy,” said the friend.
The man listened carefully for a
moment, and then walked across the
street to a big cement planter where
some shrubs were growing. He
looked into the bushes, beneath the
branches, and sure enough, he
located a small cricket. His friend was
utterly amazed. “That’s incredible,”
said his friend. “You must have
super-human ears!”
“No,” said the man. “My ears are no
different from yours. It all depends on
what you’re listening for.”
“But that can’t be!” said the friend.
“I could never hear a cricket in this
noise.” “Yes, it’s true,” came the reply.
“It depends on what is really
important to you. Here, let me show
you.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out
a few coins, and discreetly dropped
them on the sidewalk. And then, with
the noise of the crowded street still
blaring in their ears, they noticed
every head within twenty meters turn
and look to see if the money that
tinkled on the pavement was theirs.
“See what I mean?” asked the man.
“It all depends on what’s important to
you.”
As a people for now we are a nation,
till otherwise, let us focus our
attention and minds on the more
important aspects of life. It is not
about the likes of ‘liebaran’ Maku,
who heard that a total of 195,534
jobs were generated in 2012 by the
Federal Government of Nigeria via
several contracts awarded by the
Federal Executive Council (FEC) or
Northern thieving governors, Southern
mugu parks, and a vast number of
dishonoured legislators that only hear
their greed.
Sometimes we hear but do not listen;
the haram is closing in on us. The
axiom I started with simply implies
that practical and realistic moves are
more reliable than mysterious
expectations. We still can, if we want
to, but only time will tell.