An Australian based Health Specialist Victor Banji-Oke has advocated urgent review of the academic curriculum to tackle the menace of unemployment among teeming youths.
Banji-Oke, founder and chairman of a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Ekiti Titun Initiative, also attributed increase in unemployment level in the country to irrelevant career being pursued in the universities.
Speaking at a novelty football match organised for youths in Oye-Ekiti, the Health Specialist stressed that Nigeria needs to ensure that courses being taught in our tertiary institutions are in tandem with the reality.
He hinted that his organisation is poised to offer interventions in the areas of Counselling, Mentorship and Entrepreneurship.
“The main agenda of our organisation is redirect the energies of Ekiti youths towards productive ventures,” he stated.
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He urged Ekiti youths to take advantage of the new opportunity to get out of lack.
“Many of our youths spent four to five years in the university studying courses that cannot add value to their lives .I think ,we must wake up to this reality as a nation .The reason other countries left us behind is because we do our things in the same old way and we are expecting a better results .No it cannot work,” Banji-Oke lamented .
According to him,it is high time government ensured that old courses are combined either with business or Information and Communication Technology(ICT).
He disclosed the new curriculum model had assisted the Australian Government in reducing the unemployment
The health specialist hinted that 75percent of the Australian population is now being engaged by the private sector .
“Each time I visited my community ,I am always worried about the level of poverty and unemployment amongst our youths .But my findings had revealed that the youths actually need somebody ,I mean a spirited individual who can redirect their energies towards profitable ventures .With the situation of Nigeria, I don’t think it will be wise for any reasonable to be looking for non existing white collar jobs.”
“What we have been able to do in the last few months is to interact with them so as to know their specific areas of needs .The our organization can now serve as facilitator and in the area mentorship .”
“Most of these youths can actually do well on their own but many of them did not either know to go about or know where the opportunities are .And this is why Ekiti Titun Initiative will in. in . We are looking at the agricultural sector and I am glad that the present government in Ekiti is also taking that as one of its policy frameworks.”
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