Why Young Nigerians are forced to move abroad!!!

Home sweet home might not be a popular mantra on the lips of young Nigerians, as more and more are forced to move abroad in view of the rising hardship in the economy.

According to a research by The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), studies reveal that unemployment was a major reason why more young Nigerians are desperately seeking opportunities abroad.

The Institute’s Head of Research, Dr. Ayo Yusuff said on Thursday that Nigerian youths were increasingly getting tired of the hopeless situation of unemployment and under-employment.

Nigeria boasts of a population of over 200 million people of which over 50% are vibrant youths under 35 years of age. The government is yet to effectively harness this potential in growing the economy.

In his words, Dr. Yusuff said:

“Nigeria is lucky to have a very vibrant youth population. We have a very high percentage of youths in this country, and this ought to be an advantage for this country.

’The problem is that our government has not been able to manage this advantage very well.

We currently have low rate of employment in this country, and wages are not even commensurate with the economic demands of people. So, where our young men and women see their hopes will be raised, they go there.

They are restless because they have energy that pushes them to be gainfully employed in other countries because we are not tapping their energy,’’ he said.

Yusuff pointed out that vocational education had been long neglected in Nigeria, adding that it was imperative for various levels of government to urgently begin to encourage more young Nigerians in vocational studies.

The institute’s head of research said that there was a lot for Nigeria to learn from countries like China where young men and women had taken to different vocations.

“We must understand that the things that we currently buy in Nigeria are made by young Chinese that have taken to different vocations.

I think that the governments should really begin to look at the possibility of encouraging our youths in vocational studies and employments,’’ he said. 

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