Malam Nasiru Umar, a Director with Bauchi state Sharia Commission, has attributed the increase in crime rate in some parts of the country to unemployment, poverty and illiteracy.
Umar, who is the Director in charge of Da’awah and Islamic Propagation in the commission,stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Bauchi.
He described poverty, unemployment and illiteracy as some of the some of the social vices capable of retarding the socioeconomic development of any nation, stressing the need to gear efforts towards job creation.
He urged well-to-do in the society to focus on job creation activities, provision of scholarship and such other productive ventures that would aid the teeming Nigerian youth to be productive and creative.
He emphasised that engaging the unemployed youth in productive ventures and scholarship, would further promote and consolidate unity and harmonious coexistence, just as he observed that majority of those committing crimes were of youthful ages.
He commended the Bauchi State Government for introducing numerous empowerment programmes in which thousands of indigent youth were fully engaged.
NAN reports that the Da’awah department would begin a one month enlightenment and sensitisation campaign on importance of peaceful coexistence across the 20 existing local government areas in the state. (NAN)
