Don tasks governments on skills acquisition to address unemployment, insecurity

Prof. Aminu Usman, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kaduna State University (KASU), has advised governments at all levels to change the psyche of youths from having certificates, to having skills.

Usman gave the advice on Tuesday in Kaduna, on the sideline of a two-day International Conference with the theme, “Insecurity and National Development ”, organized by the Faculty.

He told the media that job creation through skills acquisition would address the problem of unemployment, one of the triggers of insecurity in the country.

He pointed out that the country was experiencing huge population growth, far above what the economy could sustain, thereby creating an army of unemployed youths that would become a ready tool for violence.

He said that skills acquisition was the solution, adding that developed countries of the world had moved away from certificate-based jobs, to skill-based.

The dean stressed that the Nigerian governments must work towards encouraging people to acquire skills, instead of the current focus on acquiring certificates.

He, however, said that for the skills to make sense, the system of government in terms of employment, promotion, and appointment, must recognize the role of skills, rather than a certificate.

“If you do not certify a plumber, an electrician, or a builder, and allow him to grow and attain the highest position in the employment ladder, nobody will venture into skill acquisition.

“So, we need to change our labor laws, change our employment priority, our promotion and appointment system, to accommodate people with skills.

“It is no longer about becoming a director in the civil service, but about becoming a renowned technician that can fix things,” he said.

Usman explained that the conference was organized for academics to look for ways of addressing the lingering security challenge and suggest a path for sustainable national development.

Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Abdallah Adamu, Department of Mass Communication, KASU, had stressed the connection between insecurity and national development.

Adamu said at the opening of the event, that the conference provided an avenue for academics from different fields to analyze the security situation and come up with workable solutions.

He described insecurity as a “threat to national development”, adding that everyone must support ongoing efforts to address the problem for development to thrive.