By Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu has advocated for population law as a means of addressing the growing rate of unemployment in the country.
Governor Akeredolu also called for the establishment of technology based schools and trade centres to produce youths who are self-reliant and employers of labour.
Governor Akeredolu who noted that the country should chart a new cause to address the issue of youth unemployment, stressed that no government can employ all the unemployed youths in the country.
The Governor spoke at a programme entitled “Summit On Youth Unemployable, #ENDSARS and Aftermath: The way Forward” held at the International Event Center (DOME) Akure.
While lamenting that the country’s population increases daily, Akeredolu pointed out that a nation that has no population law is not prepared for growth.
He said “We must be able to control our population through population law. We are almost the size of China, but in China today, there is a law that you can’t have more then one child. We must be deliberate about the population law.”
Governor Akeredolu said that the country must also look into the continuous registration and approval of universities, adding that establishment of technology and trade centres should be encouraged to provide self-sustainable employment for the youths.
According to the Governor, the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) must be retooled to engage the youths productively in a way that part of the service year would include mandatory military training for self defence and more months for entrepreneurship through technical and technological training and trade.
He said the move would empower the youths and discourage massive jostling government jobs by the unemployed youths across the country.
He disclosed that before the #ENDSARS protest, his administration had created the Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency (ONDEA) to empower the young entrepreneurs in the state.
While begging the youths to shun violence and vandalism, the Governor charged religious leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to engage the youths and discourage them from act of destruction and vandalism.
Speaking, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Tayo Alasoadura said the gathering is a dialogue that is needed at this time, adding that the President has directed members of the Federal Executive Council to liaise with their state governments to hold such meeting.
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