Cardinal John Onaiyekan has expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening unemployment crisis, saying many young graduates can no longer think about marriage or building a future because they cannot find jobs.
Speaking during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja reflected on Nigeria’s economic situation following the recent meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu.
Onaiyekan said the true measure of any government’s success should be the well-being of its citizens rather than economic indicators such as GDP or reports from international institutions.
He said: “If we admit that the role of government is the welfare of citizens, then it means we are not going to judge the success of our government on the basis of the statistics from GDP, from the World Bank, or whatever. The important thing is, what, how is the life of the Nigerian?”
Describing youth unemployment as one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges, the cleric noted that many university graduates remain jobless despite years of education.
He said: “The terrible thing now is many of our young people that have struggled to finish university are all going around with their degrees. They are unable to get a job. Therefore, they can’t even think of marriage. They can’t think of starting a family. They can’t think of planning their life. That is terrible,” the Cardinal lamented.
He warned that growing frustration among unemployed youths could have serious consequences if not urgently addressed, urging the government to show the political will to govern with honesty, fairness and justice.
He said: “The only thing it takes is a political will to do the right thing, to be honest in how government is run, to be just to everybody, to be fair in this.”
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