BY RALPH EJIMKONYE
A watchdog, the Imo Awareness Coalition, IAC, has described as shameful and worrisome, the rating of the State by the National Bureau for Statistics, NBS of having the highest rate of unemployment in the country with 56.64%
In a statement in Owerri by the Coalition and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Fidelis Echendu, the IAC said the latest rating by the NBS on the State should be of concern to the State government and calls for immediate and proactive actions on the part of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
“The rating by the NBS is shameful, worrisome, embarrassing and calls for proactive action on the part of the State government. We strongly advise Governor Hope Uzodimma to immediately go back to the drawing board and take urgent steps to reverse this trend.
“The present administration is not to be solely blamed for the NBS rating. Past governments in the State als failed to arrest the situation when the figures were adding up and this could be attributed to the fact that lip service was given to unemployment in the State for many years.
The IAC however said “It is not late to halt this embarrassing trend which has negatively portrayed our youths as lazy despite the fact that 75% of Imo youths are graduates and skilled in one vocation or the other
“The bitter truth is, governments, past and present in Imo State failed to diversify the Imo economy from public service driven to private sector led. A private sector driven economy will considerably absorb the high number of unemployed persons in the State, particularly the youths.
The Coalition noted that the situation will not abate until government takes positive steps
“We call for concerted actions now. Imo State has no reason to be rated so when we have all it takes to get our youths employed. The dangers which trail an unemployed population include increase in social vices such as crime and kidnapping in the State which will affect investments and further retard the decadent and weak Imo economy” the statement stated.
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