FG: We’re working hard to reduce unemployment

Despite limited resources, Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, says the Federal Government is working relentlessly to lower the number of unemployed youngsters in the country.

Dare, when asked about the rising jobless rate among young Nigerians in the six years after President Buhari took office, said that economic resources were running out, and that the youths needed to be patient.

The minister appeared on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” show today on the occasion of International Youth Day.

“This government has attempted to shift the basics of youth involvement from simply empowering our youngsters to investing in them, and that is the paradigm we see in the international community because our youths are investible,” he said.

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“Without making excuses, it comes down to resources; we’ve seen the government’s resources shrink over time. When you travel to other nations where unemployment has stabilized for a while, you will notice that it is a collective effort on the side of the government, private collaborations, and international non-governmental organizations.

“You will see government attempting to allocate resources, competing resources, on our part. It is a massive country with a population of 210 million people. The youth make up a significant portion of this population. But we’re also attempting a refocus that emphasizes skills over diplomas – vocational and technical skills, which are the future of respectable jobs.

“That is why, right now, the focus is on ensuring that we provide our youths with the digital skills they require to compete; even if you travel out of the nation as a Nigerian youth, you would need digital skills to compete.

“We will have to wait and see because resources are running out, but we are making concerted efforts to reduce unemployment in our country.”