Kogiflame
A None Governmental Organization, ActionAid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to urgently address the growing unemployment rate in the country to reduce violence extremism in Nigeria.
ActionAid Resilience Programme Coordinator Mr Anicetus Atakpu made the call on Saturday in Koton- Karfe while speaking at the 2021 Youth summit on preventing violent extremism in Kogi State with the theme “youth innovation in peace building through climate change mitigation”.
Atakpu who described unemployment and marginalization as a critical driver of violent extremism stressed the need for all stakeholders and policy makers to support the drive for innovative ideas as it comes to issues of food security.
He said in line with the global theme commemorating the 2021 International youth day, the organization is addressing some key aspect which boils down to solving the issues of unemployment which triggers violent extremism in the country.
According to him, ” the healthiness of the earth is tied around climate change. There is need to improve innovative ideas of the youth that would enhance security in the country.
” When we talk about innovative ideas, we are talking about job creation. How can youth get involved more deeply in issues of climate change and how they can get themselves involved on issues of food security. They play active role in ensuring that the earth is healthy. Currently we have different issues that has really affected the soil fertility. More than 80 percent of our communities are into farming.
” For example, where we are now in Koton-Karfe, they combine both farming and fishing because of the proximity to river. When the flood come, it washes away most of those things they have laboured for, including their farm land.
“It goes a long way to affect their earnings. One of the effect of climate change is how it has increased poverty. Government and other stakeholders must provide an enabling environment were the youths will be proactive, and innovative as it concerns their farm yields and food security”.
Continuing Atakpu said, ” this will create job opportunities that would address unemployment which holistically will deduce violent extremism in the country”.
The ActionAid Resilience Programme Coordinator however tasked the government to be more proactive in providing seedlings that are necessary for planning saying “if we don’t have good planting season, there would be hunger next year. When there us hunger next year, it will escalate conflict and violent extremism in all areas in the country”.
While tasking on policy makers to be more proactive in proffering policies and solutions and ensure total implementation of the existing ones, Atakpu further called for the improvement on the budgetary allocation for agriculture stressing that some States are doing well in line with the Maputo declaration of 2003 which pegged it at 10% in any budgetary allocation in a State.
In a remarks at the summit, the Council Chairman of Kogi Local Government, Hon. Isah Abdulkareem, described Youth engagement in Agriculture as cardinal if the issues of unemployment gap in the country must be tackled.
Similarly, the Chairman, National Youth Council, Kogi Local Government Chapter, Comr. Isah Abubakar Adah Abu, lauded the Initiatives of Actionaid Nigeria, expressing optimism that the agricultural sector, with the right environment created, has the propensity to check unemployment, Youth restiveness, and gainfully engage youths of the area.
Earlier, the Resource Person at the Summit, Hajia Zainab Musa, described Kogi LGA as largely an agrarian area in nature, urging the youths to begin to think about farming and fishing as a way out of the unemployment crisis bedeviling the country.
Musa described farming as the most lucrative venture for all time and seasons, urging them to seek for new method of farming that would seek to protect the environment and the ecosystem.
She also described farming as the most attractive profession and venture now in view of the need to increase food sufficiency and provide gainful employment to teeming graduates roaming the streets.
The Youth Summit which was organised by ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID) with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF) was held simultaneously in all 12 SARVE II project communities in Kogi State, namely: Ugbedomagwu, Ujagba, Tajimi, Ette, Koton-Karfe, Osisi, Osaragada/Aku, Inata, Ukowa, Emekutu and Abache, all in Lokoja, Okehi, Adavi, Ankpa, Igalamela-Odolu, and Kogi-Koto Local Government Areas.
The Youth Summit is part of the implementation of the System and Structure Strengthening Approach Against Radicalization to Violent Extremism Project (SARVE II) aimed at reducing the vulnerability of at-risk young men and women to conflict and radicalization, in 12 communities of 6 LGAs, Kogi State.
