Another one million jobs for youths-Part 2

Continued from yesterday
Lest we forget, before the development of the USA into a federation of states, each state had their own militia for protection, because there was no common army. That’s the origin of the freedom to bear arms – Stand Your Ground – by members of American societies who needed to protect their communities from outlaws like slave raiders and red Indians whom foreign invaders mainly from Europe had displaced from their land.

It is now left to the authorities to seize the opportunity to create another 1,000,000 jobs via critical national assets protection corps in addition to the 500,000 teachers soon to the recruited from the burgeoning number of unemployed youths in Nigeria.

The beauty of this proposal is that it’s two for the price of one because, while government would be providing 1,500,000 jobs for the youths, instead of just 500,000 initially being proposed for recruitment as teachers, the nation’s critical assets, now susceptible to vandalism, would also be best safeguarded.

However, no matter how lofty the concept proposed above is, it cannot happen except there is relative peace  in the Niger Delta which is currently brimming and boiling over with violence.

Philip Hammond, British minister in charge of African affairs, on the sidelines of regional security meetings in Abuja last week, has urged President Buhari to address the grievances of Niger delta militants in a more holistic manner. In his view, “Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Niger Delta, that he is engaging the challenges in the delta.” With 70% cut in the budget for militants training in 2016 appropriation bill, Mr. Hammond believes the militants have legitimate concerns that need to be resolved amicably, as opposed to the military action being contemplated.

Fiery Muslim cleric, Sheik Gumi in a recent media interview, has also weighed in with his admonition.
Allocation of some oil wells to state governments and indigenes of Niger Delta, is for instance, one of the demands, which l believe authorities may not be averse to. All the perspectives captured above boil down to trying to sort out the genuine grievances in a multi ethnic, and multi religious country.

Once the authorities sort out the genuine political issues through diplomacy, the aspect of criminality can be reined in with the critical national assets protection Corps.

When a southerner is occupying Aso Rock, the north antagonises and when a northerner is at the helm of affairs, the south also rankles the leadership. What is, therefore, required to avoid the looming human catastrophe and economic paralysis is a combination of both diplomacy and security enforcement to restore peace in the Niger Delta.

Jobs creation minister (Labour and Productivity?) Emeka Ngige and petroleum minister of state, over to you.
Concluded
Onyibe , a development strategist, was a commissioner in Delta State and an alumnus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA.