Nigeria: 20 million Nigerians unemployed due to deficiency of skills, says ITF

Director-General of the Industrial Trust Fund (ITF) in Nigeria, Sir Joseph Ari, has linked the unemployment of over 20 million Nigerians to their failure to acquire skills as well as preferences for white-collar jobs, according to a news report by Daily Trust.

During the first National Skills Summit held in Abuja on March 16, Ari said that to reduce the growing number of the employed in the country, the mindset and the perception of Nigerians have to change.

According to human resource development experts, there is a disconnection between the schools and the needs of the industries, leading to a situation of unemployment in the nation.

Ari said that there is an absence of Labour Market Information (LMI) which can Nigerians in career choices and institutions of learning on industry needs.

"Consequently, institutions of learning and human capacity development institutions work on a whim, in the dark and without any form of guidance. The effect of this is that institutions train potential workers in skills that are not needed by the labor market," he said.

The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, said rising unemployment has accentuated the rising rate of insecurity in the country.

Katagum said that to address the challenges, Nigeria will first have to create jobs by equipping Nigerians with skills while also trying to align the educational system to the current needs of the country.

"Skills acquisition has become the currency of countries desirous of development in the 21st century. The T-BRICS nations, Turkey, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa provide ready examples," said Katagum.