With Nigerian unemployment currently sitting at around 9m, President Tinubu has to come up with a public works programme using Awolowo’s Liberty Stadium in Ibadan as a template

Ayo Akinfe

[1] There are currently about 9m unemployed people in Nigeria. Between 4% and 5% of the population are without jobs. Most these are youths not trained or educated and lack the skills required in a modern economy

[2] Countries like Brazil and South Africa have successfully introduced public works programmes of late, soaking up millions of unemployed youths. Nigeria needs a similar sort of programme if she is to address her unemployment crisis

[3] For instance. there are 15m Fulanis in Nigeria, of which I guess about 80% of them have no hope, future or prospects. I want to see a public works programme involving the building of roads, railway lines, stadia, housing units, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, industrial estates, etc, built to employ all these youths

[4] Nigeria actually has a record for doing this as in 1960, Obafemi Awolowo, the then premier constructed Liberty Stadium Ibadan, using direct labour under the supervision of the Western Region Ministry of Works and Transport

[5] In the early 1940s, the US introduced what I consider the most productive public works programme in the world when they built up their World War Two military machine. Anyone who has read the book Grapes of Wrath, will understand what I am on about

[6] In 1929, following the Wall Street Crash, the US was hit by the Great Depression. However, it all ended in 1939 when World War Two began and the US had to start manufacturing armaments for the allies

[7] In 1941, when the US entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbour, America enjoyed full employment as armaments factories, industrial plants, food processing companies, etc, were working flat out. Women had to be drafted into what were previously considered men's jobs because demand for labour was so high

[8] Basically, If Nigeria has enough major industrial projects that can soak up say 3m youths in one go, we will be home and dry. These are the kind of proposals bodies like the Christian Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Governors Forum, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, etc ought to be debating but alas, our intellectual laziness has got the better of us again

[9] We should be looking to build the world's largest hydro-electric plant at Lokoja, the world's largest solar farm in Sinkafi in Zamfara State, the world's largest groundnut farm in Biu in Borno State, the world's largest wildlife farm in Taraba State, the planet’s biggest cattle ranch in Sambisa Forest, the planet's biggest sorghum plantation in Kaura Namoda and mankind's largest food processing plant in Kano, all simultaneously

[10] I would actually aim to employ 5m youths directly and indirectly. For it to work, however, you need a cabinet minister in charge of the programme. During World War Two, Britain gave such a role to the Canadian journalist Lord Beaverbrook and he delivered big time!

ayoakinfe@gmail.com