Stop depending on us for jobs, invest your talents, FG tells Nigerian graduates

The federal government has called on Nigerian graduates to concentrate more on investing their talents into activities capable of making them self-employed  than depending on government for jobs.

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave the charge on Monday in Benin, Edo state, during a townhall meeting on popularisation of blue/green collar jobs among graduates of tertiary institutions, according to a statement issued by spokesman to the ministry, Charles Akpan.

According to Ngige, such paradigm shift in orientation among Nigerian graduates has become essential in the wake surging statistics of unemployment in the country.

The Minister, who was represented at the event by Director of Special Duties and Projects Department in the Ministry, Martina Nwordu, said Nigerian youths must emulate their counterparts in other countries, who depend less on government for jobs.

He noted the richest youths in the world are those who were able to think beyond landing government-provided jobs.

“The minister urged Nigerian youths to invest their talent in other job sectors, as the richest youth of the world, aged between 21 and 31 years, are not employees of government but smart entrepreneurs who distinguished themselves in creative skills in various areas,” Ngige was quoted as saying in the statement.

“The minister disclosed that the purpose of the meeting, which held concurrently in four other geo-political zones of the federation, was to sensitise representatives of key stakeholders in graduate employment on the benefits of blue/green-collar jobs as an alternative response to the challenges of graduate unemployment.”