[FILES] Federal Government’s team and the National Executive of the Academic Staff Union of Universities . , have raised concerns about the country’s rising dependency ratio, as majority of youths are becoming idle by the day.
This is after majority of these graduates, especially from federal universities, spend close to seven-eight years for a four-year course and end up no longer meeting the age limit on employment by the private sector. Similarly, another student, already running his second degree in a private university and gainfully employed in an oil and gas firm, has also left his cousin, in 300 level, who is not even sure when she’ll graduate, following incessant strikes by unions in the public varsity system.
According to their expectations, they were supposed to have started contributing their financial quota to the family, rather than still spoon-feeding them or living under their roof. Already, the National Bureau of Statistics in its Expenditure and Income Gross Domestic Product report for the first half of 2021, said Nigerians spent N54 trillion on household consumption in six months. The figure, it stated, was higher than N48.22 trillion recorded in the first half of 2020.
The underemployed are graduates and skilled workers, who are willing to work but can’t find full employment. When considered by educational status, those reporting educational groups had the highest rate of underemployment with 30.9 per cent, followed by those with vocational/commercial groups at 28.5 per cent. Those with doctorate degrees as their highest qualifications reported 20.7 per cent during the reference period.
He gave instances of the majority of graduates, who do not meet up with age requirements due to incessant strikes, but had to swear false affidavits to cut down their age. According to him, the issue of a student that is supposed to have graduated and still depending on the parent for his or her survival is compounding the percentage of dependency ratio.
“In as much as there is a high level of unemployment, you cannot but have a high dependency ratio because those that are competent to get employed and could not would have to be largely dependent on parents, guardians and even friends for their survival,” he said.
Seriously we youth should do something...any youth caught selling votes will pay for it ..Enough is Enough
Does youth should youthlise there power to vote out this few old men who has sent there kids abroad just to punish them for nothing 😎