N-Power Volunteers Are Not Asking For Too Much By Kolade Gbolagade

"The lack of human dignity experienced by Youths is the direct policy of the Elites" Kolade Gbolagade

Any strategy to reduce intergenerational poverty has to be centered on work not welfare-not only because work provides independence and income but also because work provides order, structure, dignity and opportunities for growth in people's lives" BARACK OBAMA.

Africa's most populous nation and largest economy has a youth unemployment challenge.

Nigerias unemployment rate as at second quarter of 2020 is 27.1% indicating that about 21.7 million Nigerians remain unemployed.

Nigeria’s unemployment and underemployment rate (28.6%) is a combined 55.7%.

This is contained in a recently released unemployment data report published by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Nigeria’s youth remain the hardest hit by unemployment with over 13.9 million people aged between 15 and 34 years unemployed.

When APC was campaigning for change ,one of the Cardinal point of their manifesto is economy: tackling poverty and unemployment among the youth population.

True to their words they initiated a social investment program (N-POWER) in tackling the tragedy called unemployment. Recruiting almost 500,000 unemployed graduates and non graduates.

These batches A and B of the SIP(N-POWER) served this country passionately at both Federal and State institutions: in classrooms, health care center's and our farmlands.

Their impact can never be overemphasized most especially in the education sector as they were able to close the gap to a large extent as state schools and Health centers are short staffed and permanent staff overwhelmed with the population of students and patient's respectively.

The Vice President and the inaugural officer In charge of Npower component of the President Muhammadu Buharis , National social investment program (NSIP) rolled up their sleeves to improve upon the success of the program. Thereby creating a transition program for the two batches who have almost served 4 years and 2 years respectively. Such that they can continue to add value to nation building through their hardwork, diligence and productive service that's felt across the length and breadth of the education sector , our health centre and farmlands.

These effort was short-lived not so long the NSIP was transferred into the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development headed by Sadiya Umar Faruq.

Her coming ushered a new era of stipend delays, stipend areas and disengagement of Volunteers without any clear cut transition program or policy.

She cut short the mandate of reducing unemployment. Her actions are a reversal to the success achieved in tackling poverty and youth unemployment and unrest. On # Youthmandate we stand.

We wish to remind Minister Sadiya that In the twilight of the first term of PMB's administration , Mr Afolabi told Volunteers that their PVCs is the guarantee to their permanency. The Honorable Minister believed in a kind of social Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. " Government can't do everything" , we were told , ' so it should settle for taking care of the strong and hope that economic ambition and charity will do the rest . Make the rich richer- and what falls from the table will be enough for the jobless youths and those who are trying desperately to work their way into employment.

What happens to partnership with state government and partnership with private corporations. What happens to releasing grants for entrepreneurs among the N-Power volunteers?

We unequivocally reject any transitional offer of loan as we are not going to mortgage our future for any government financial institution.

On # grant we stand.

Madam Minister, you are where you are today not because you are the best among your equals but by divine providence and opportunity by those who believed in you when you were crawling.

They gave you an opportunity to be able to give opportunity to millions whose fate is resting on your shoulder.

If you fail in this quest, history will never be kind to you.

We are not asking for too much. What we are asking of is a fair shot at opportunity that undeniably exists. To be able to add value of service, hardwork , diligence and to be able to earn a decent living with dignity.

It's also a way of inspiring our common ideals as a nation.

The conscience of this nation is on trial and we March that the arc of history bend towards opportunity , empathy and social justice.

Amandla Awetu

Kolade Gbolagade