Back skills acquisition centres with seed funds, fmr NACCIMA president tells FG

Nigeria risks losing its youth population to crime, unless the federal and state governments begin to promote entrepreneurship, which is capable of taking youths off the streets, says Simeon Okolo, former national president, N igerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).

Okolo, in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay in Aba, applauded former president Goodluck Jonathan for instituting the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Fund (MSMEF) and urged the present administration in the country to sustain the programme.

“The Federal Government is waking up to it, because the unemployment problem in the country is like a time bomb and unless we move fast to promote MSMEs, to take care of these youths, we are not doing anything”.

He appealed to the federal and state governments to take care of young people by backing up all skills acquisition programmes with seed money to ensure that youths are productive as soon as they round-off their training.

“If these youths are provided with seed money round the country, the impact will be clear. It will take them off the streets.

“However, I think the federal government is waking up to the fact that MSMEs have to be promoted, because it is by promoting them that you have to cut down on unemployment, especially youth unemployment, because it is only through MSMEs that you can create jobs for the teaming youths that are unemployed.

“They cannot continue to wait for white-collar jobs that are not readily available. So by promoting MSMEs, you are actually trying to help youths of this country who are educated up to secondary school level and even graduates that are moving about without jobs. MSMEs are where they should go,“ he stated.

Okolo, who was a platinum award winner at the 3rd African International Small and Medium Enterprises Economic and Security Summit Awards, thanked the organisers for recognising his little efforts at promoting small-scale enterprises and the chamber of commerce movement in Aba and the country as a whole.

He also praised the chamber movement in Nigeria for their resilience in promoting commerce in the country despite the numerous challenges faced by entrepreneurs.

“The chamber movements are doing what they are supposed to do. While the national body is interfacing with the federal government, the city chapters are interfacing with the states, “Okolo Observed.

GODFREY OFURUM, Aba