‘Government interventions have not successfully triggered economic growth, job creation’

• Installs Lasisi, president, Ikorodu Metro Lion Club
Despite interventions by the Federal Government to tackle unemployment, an expert has said the programmes have not successfully triggered economic growth, rich in job creation opportunities and development. 

Stating that youth unemployment was one of the fundamental developmental challenges facing the country, the expert, who mentioned some of the interventions like SURE-P, YOUWIN, N-Power and the creation of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), among others, said the governed are not blameless.

Principal Consultant/Chief Executive Office, Worklife Training Professionals, Dr. Ade Bello, said this at the public presentation of Ibrahim Lasisi, as the 19th President of the Ikorodu Metro Lions Club, District 404 A1 Nigeria, where he spoke on the theme, ‘Who Is My Neighbour?’

With the high rate of unemployment, he lamented how most secondary schools teachers are made up of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members or graduates, waiting to fly away when they get ‘better’ jobs or visas to work overseas.

He said the curricula of higher or medium institutions are not industry-tailored, forcing many foreign companies to bring in expatriates to work as artisans and technicians.  

Speaking on the state of the nation, he said every sector analysed has one or more rotten spots.

According to him, “many only want to get a big bite of the national cake by any means and some want to carry away the whole cake, ignoring the goose that is laying the golden egg and other geese that depend on the golden egg. 

“Now what more do we have in our hands? Adherents of Yahoo plus, ritualists, kidnappers, bandits, Boko Haramers and all shades of militants, among others. The rich cannot sleep because the poor is hungry and awake; legitimate night life is unsafe, road, water or air travel is unsafe or insecure, and sitting at home doing nothing is not advisable because of family and social pressures. What shall we do then? Where did we go wrong? Is there a way out? Or are we just going to continue to complain? What went wrong in the past to bring all these challenges? Or as you will hear on social media, ‘ who did this to us?’”

He charged the club to do more, especially in this era of seemingly government incapacity and neglect.

In his acceptance speech, Lasisi pledged to take the club to greater heights by leading with integrity, while maintaining accountability and transparency.

During his reign as president for the 2022/2023 Lions Service Year, he also promised to improve on existing structure of the club, run an open door policy that will incorporate workable ideas from members, drastically reduce meeting time through efficient management of meetings, organise lectures at every business meeting and aggressive membership drive and retention, among others.