Sometimes I think our leaders say things that unintentionally reveal how they see the future of Nigeria and how they think of the biggest problems in our country
I recently watched a video of Senator, Pastor, Yeye Odua Traditional Chief, and First Lady Mrs Remi Tinubu recommending that our young people should embrace micro businesses like kuli-kuli akomo lo le and akara mini jojo production as a pathway to economic empowerment, and I just shook my head and then decided that perhaps it is time for a serious national conversation on how to really deal with the mass unemployment in the nation which has been building up since even before Tinubu declared his Emilokan to essentially own the problem as our current president
Now I laughed at the serious suggestion of Senator Tinubu Not because there is anything wrong with selling akara mini jojo as a business
Not because there is anything wrong with making kuli-kuli a Komo lole
There is dignity in honest labour. I have enormous respect for every Nigerian who wakes up every morning to feed his or her family through legitimate work.
An akara seller deserves our respect. A vulcanizer deserves our respect.
A mechanic deserves our respect. Every honest hustle has dignity.
So, That is not my issue.
My issue is this:
Is this really the highest level of economic imagination our leaders can offer a nation with tens of millions of unemployed young people? Is this how we plan to solve a mass unemployment situation in our country ?
That is the question.
Because Nigeria is not facing the unemployment of a few thousand people.
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We are facing one of the largest youth unemployment crises anywhere in the world.
Millions of graduates.
Millions of skilled young people.
Millions of dreamers.
Millions of frustrated families.
Millions of youths who are economically stranded that millions are still living with their parents 5 years after graduation and no serious jobs or income
And our response from the highest levels of leadership in the country to this unacceptable unemployment epidemic is…
“Perhaps you should sell kuli kuli akara.”
What!! With respect, that is not an economic strategy.
That is survival advice.
And There is a world of difference between the two .
The tragedy isn’t that Nigerians sell akara.
