CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study:
Over the years, policy makers, economists, and stakeholders has been concerned on the persistent issues of Unemployment due to the overwhelming effect of this occurrence on youth, economy and the nation at large. In both the developing and developed countries, unemployment has been of immense challenge. Despite the fact that it is a universal development, it happens frequently in developing nations with associated political, economic, social and of course emotional consequences.
The issue has been prevalent lately, cutting across all aspect of age group. It serves as one of the greatest challenges of the nation’s economic system today as the episode has continued in an alarming rate today in decades. Unemployment has thus reached such a frightening level today that is perhaps considered the most serious of the problems ravaging Nigeria and Kano State in particular; as well one that is progressively worsening as the gap between the rapid rising group pressing for jobs and the new employment chance being created broadens.
The issue of unemployment amongst youth is very evident and apparent in Kano state and Nigeria at large. The national unemployment rates for Nigeria between 2000 to 2009 as stated by National Bureau of Statistics (2010), was ranked at a percentages of 31. 1% in 2000, 13. 6% in 2001, 12. 6% in 2002, 14. 8% in 2003, 13. 4% in 2004, 11. 9% in 2005, 13. 7% in 2006, 14. 6% in 2007, 14. 9% in 2008 and 19. 7% in 2009 with more than 20 million graduates unemployed in Nigeria. These detail don't depict our society in the positive way as regards to the employment of human resources because in a country like Britain 2% rate of unemployment of the labour force is considered very high (cited in Okafor, 2011).
It suffices to say that progressively, the nation’s ability to employ its own population has diminished in spite of her vast natural resources. The level of unemployment continue to soar high on a upward trend each year, as opposed on its neighbours countries that have less resources.
As asserted by Anameza, (2000), Nigeria prospect about measurable development or for enhancing the welfare for its citizenry is in shambles unless it improves on massive employment for its graduates. Continuously enhancing employment and productivity as reported by the World Bank (1993) has been cardinal to the performances of the so-called “Asian Tigers” and Japan. It means that lack of aforementioned will definitely retard Nigeria chances.
This generally portrays that unemployment is influenced by a number of issues among which are corruption, fumble for resources, lack of political will and so on. As such, the escalating rate of unemployment has negative effect on youth from a wide range of socio- economic cluster for both the educated and the less educated one and it has mainly stricken a considerable fraction of the youth from lowly backgrounds and less education within the societies and Kano state is not an exemption. The outcomes of unemployment can be so devastating to the extent to which it can cripple the economy of a state. It brings about low productivity, wastage of resources, youth violence and youth restiveness, which set the state background without feasible development.
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