Development expert and business leader, Femi Oshoniyi, has called on governors in Nigeria’s the South-West region to urgently confront rising unemployment, cautioning that failure to act could deepen insecurity and undermine the zone’s economic gains.

Oshoniyi, a former President of the Rotary Club, Isolo, and Managing Director of Sparta Construction, said the growing pool of idle youths has become a breeding ground for criminal activities, including armed robbery, cultism, cybercrime and kidnapping.

According to him, with an estimated population of over 50 million people, a significant proportion of whom are within the working-age bracket, the South-West risks a demographic crisis if urgent steps are not taken to tackle unemployment and underemployment.

Oshoniyi identified the technology sector as a key driver of job creation, noting that Nigeria’s ICT industry contributes over 18 per cent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He advocated expanded access to digital skills through tech hubs, coding academies and public-private partnerships.

He also pointed to agriculture as a viable employment pathway.