Nigeria: Unemployment - Employers Urged to De-Emphasise Years of Experience

Awka — Government institutions and other employers of labour have been urged to de-emphasise on years of work experience as a basic requirement for granting employment to graduates in their establishments.

The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Sam Okaula made the appeal in Awka, at a Youth Entrepreneurship and Leadership Summit on the theme "From Recession to Economic Revolution, the Role of the Youths" organised by the Progressive Anambra Youths (PAY).

He said such criteria has greatly increased the rate of unemployment among the youths which he identified as one of the major causes of crimes in the society.

Represented by DSP Iloabanafor Ogbonna, Okaula described as unrealistic, a minimum of three years' work experience for a young graduate who just finished his National Youth service programme, wondering the possibility of acquiring such criteria when the opportunity is not provided.

"You are asking someone who just passed out from the NYSC to produce three or five years work experience before giving him a job; where does he get it? Of course, he is automatically disqualified from the job.

"Now that he is denied of that opportunity, from where will he acquire it? Little wonder many of them are forced into all forms of criminality as alternatives," he added.

The Police Commissioner who also identified poverty, peer group pressure, poor parenting, addiction to social media and pretentious lifestyle as other causes of crime, however advocated for a Masters degree or Higher Diploma certificates as alternatives to years of experience from would-be employees.