The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has advised unemployed Nigerians to always acquire requisite knowledge and skills that would strengthen their capacity for better opportunities in the labour market.
The Director, Procurement of NDE Mr Aliyu Abubakar, gave the advice on Sunday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja at the sidelines of the Third National Zakat Day of the Al-Habibiyyah Foundation.
The theme of the event was: `Combating Poverty.’
NAN reports that, Al-Habibiyyah Charity and Endowment Foundation had distributed startup items worth N9.3million to vulnerable groups in its bid to alleviate poverty among less privileged Nigerians.
Abubakar said, one of the major causes of poverty and joblessness was lack of marketable skills among job seekers in the country.
”The major cause of poverty is lack of marketable skills, our educational system is knowledge driven because we are only concerned with academic pursuits and not practical skills.
”To some extent we get certificates that can not put food on the table and I, believe we should deviate from this, we should give opportunities to the unemployed.
“I mean all the categories of unemployed people should be given the opportunities to acquire marketable skills that are required in the labour market.
“Because many of our young people go to acquire knowledge without getting the requisite skills and job counselling, Job counselling services are there free in the National Directorate of Employment,” he said.
The NDE Director also advised the unemployed to always go for counselling services that would be suitable to their respective job careers.
“So that we can run away from the present situation of skills mismatch because people have acquired knowledge and skills for which there is no demand in the labour market.
”You can come for job counselling so that you will acquire the right skills for which there is demand in the labour market,” Abubakar said.
According to him, one of the challenges faced in the process is the ability of people to access capital for the startup.
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”Even if you have the skills, the question of startup capital is very important because you have to pool resources together to start the business.
”This is because, the time will come when startup capital would only be given to people with acquired skills, so that they can use this capital to get involved in income generating activities that can create wealth for them.
”So, people must acquire entrepreneurial skills to enable them find suitable jobs,” Abubakar said. (NAN)
