The Tradition Ruler & Clan Head of Kasuk II Qua Clan in Calabar Municipality LGA, Cross River state, HRH Ntoe Ededem Ayito has asserted that graduates need more than certificates to be gainfully employed as well as break even especially with a view to contributing meaningfully to the growth and development of the country.
The Monarch further advocated for skill aquisition particularly in agriculture adding that if Nigeria could start producing exportable produce our economy will change for the better.
He made the assertion in an interview on Monday in Calabar stressing that becoming a graduates was no longer enough neither will it stem the rate of unemployment.
He called on relevant authorities to ensure that a graduate after school can stand alone because he or she has acquired requisite skills to do so through targeted empowerment programme that are holistic.
Ntoe Ayito further stated that many of the devilish act including ritual for money, cyber crime and other vices that was gradually becoming a hydra headed problem were majorly occasioned by unemployment and the rich quick syndrome which is bedevilled youths as young as 14 years of age.
His words :”A lot of things happening in our society today including ritual killing by teenagers, cybercrime amongst other is as a result of unemployment and meaningful engagement of young people.
“Many young people even in the state people don’t have no work, including the ones who are graduates ,an idle mind they say is the devil’s workshop, our graduates need more than certificates to succeed in the world of today, sincerely speaking certificate is no longer enough, degrees are no longer enough.
The government is also there and cannot assist because most school leavers leave school and have nothing doing and they say that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop so they should make sure they render either some.
“The Federal government must sincerely target its empowerment programmes and make many o them, agro based abd very attractive too ,so that millions of you g people roaming the streets can be meaningfully engaged.
“In the 70’s the country produced and exported cocoa, cotton, palm oil, rubber amongst others but look at us in the 21th century we cannot even export again and the little we eventually do gets little or no attention, all what we do is to import, which is not taking us anywhere.
“We have a lot of youths, in their millions, having no jobs, they should try and focus on agriculture, industrialization in a bid make sure that all those crops planted are transformed into finished product so that people can buy it from the market and we also export.
“From what is obtainable, we have come to the realization that certificate alone cannot take our youths out of unemployment and poverty, they need to learn skill in agro based sector to make sure such value chain flows, I am a farmer myself, even with all my degrees, in fact, I started started agriculture early,the youths must be encouraged in this area,” he said.
