Youths of Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Tuesday appealed to both the state and the Federal Governments to create employment opportunities for them.
Some of the youths who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikole-Ekiti lamented that many of them had graduated from tertiary institutions many years ago without good jobs.
They equally lamented that politicians only used them for campaigns to attain positions only to abandon them thereafter.
One of the youths, Gbadebo Ojo, 30, a graduate of Computer Science, said that he graduated five years ago from the University of Ibadan and had applied for jobs on several occasions without success.
Ojo alleged that state government officials only gave jobs to their cronies and relations.
“One of the reasons why most of our youths who are graduates have been jobless for several years is simply because the state government has not prioritised the future of the youths.
“I have applied for state government jobs without success, whereas a friend of mine whose uncle is a politician was given appointment without stress while he was at home.
“I am appealing to both the state and the Federal Governments to help Nigerian youths by creating jobs for them to earn a livelihood,’’ he said.
Another youth, Foluke Daramola, 29, a graduate of English Language and Literary Studies of the University of Lagos, said that she was tired of applying for jobs.
Daramola said that she and her younger sister are graduates and they had been searching for jobs for the past three years without any breakthrough.
She appealed to the government at all levels to consider the suffering of youths and provide jobs for them.
Bayo Ogundipe, 28, a graduate of Microbiology from the University of Jos, blamed politicians for the unemployment level in the country.
Ogundipe said that during campaigns, politicians always made promises which they ended up not fulfilling, once they get into power.
“I want to say that the lack of jobs for Nigerian youths is caused by politicians in power at both the state and Federal Government levels.
“More than 600,000 graduates in Nigeria are jobless and the Federal Government has been creating jobs, but the politicians have been giving the jobs out in slots to their families and cronies.
“They, thereby, deprive us of the privilege to get jobs in the civil service or agencies.
“I just want to appeal to government to reconsider and provide jobs for us,’’ he said.
A graduate of History and International Relations of the University of Ilorin, Joshua Agbebi, 27, said that lack of jobs had turned Nigerians youths to criminals and fraudsters.
He appealed to the Federal Government to restructure the employment market to create one million jobs for the youths.
Agbebi noted that crimes would only become a thing of the past when youths are gainfully employed.
NAN reports that most of the youths interviewed are passionate to acquire white-collar jobs.
