Sanusi
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido, Monday expressed concerns over what he called current worrisome rate of unemployment in Nigeria. He said this in Calabar Monday at the official launching of the CBN South South Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) in partnership with the Cross River State Government.
According to Sanusi unemployment is affecting the economic development of the country and is posing a serious developmental challenge to the nation.
“The 2012 general household survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that 23.9 per cent of the Adult Working Population in Nigeria is unemployed.
“More worrisome is the fact that unemployment rate has exhibited a worsening trend, rising from 8.2 per cent in 1999 to 23.9 per cent in 2011,” he said.
The CBN governor said that the rate of unemployment in Cross River was also rising astronomically from 7.9 per cent in 2002 to 18.2 per cent in 2011. “This is obviously not only having significant effect on the psychology of the individuals concerned but have a destablising impact on the wider society,” he said.
He said the Bank, over the years had partnered with Government’s at all levels and various stakeholders to initiate policies and schemes that would help the youths in the country.
According to him, the CBN-EDC programme has successfully completed the training of 41, 828 entrepreneurs between 2008 and 2013, adding that 13,124 jobs were also created. He said that out of this number, 1,743 have been linked with financial institutions from which they obtained loans amounting to N227.84 million to start and expand their businesses.
He said that due to the success recorded in the phase 1 of the project the bank was in the processes of putting together phase 11 of the programmes for the South East, North west and South west zones. He enjoined the Governments of the South south States to take advantage of the programmes to advance the economic potentials of the youths.
In his remarks Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River thanked the CBN for choosing Calabar as the centre for the EDC for the South south zone after a rigorous bidding exercise. According to Imoke Calabar has become a tourist destination as well as an entrepreneurial destination of Nigeria.
He said that centre would complement the efforts of the state in its effort at economic empowerment of its people. “We, in Cross River is pleased to emerge as the centre for this EDC after a rigorous bidding process,” he said.
The governor assured of total commitment to the centre and hoped that the centre would be the best in the country.
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