YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: CAUSES, EFFECTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC STABILITY OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA

This paper examined youth unemployment: causes, effects and its implications on the socio-economic stability of democratic governance in Nigerian. Two research questions were formulated with corresponding hypotheses. A survey research design was adopted in the study and through stratified proportionate sample technique, 300 graduates and lecturers were selected for the study. A questionnaire containing 12 items was used for the study. The data were analysed using mean and standard deviation and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient (r) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that the causes of youth unemployment in Nigeria included the following; rural-urban migration, rapid growing population, faulty curricula/lack of employable skills, bribery and corruption in high places, increase in the supply of educated manpower above the corresponding demand for them, no vibrant manufacturing sector which has the capacity to absorb unemployed youths and lack of strict measures to punish recalcitrant kleptocrats. It also revealed the effects on the socio-economic stability of democratic governance in Nigeria in that unemployed youths become political thugs and blood thirsty hoodlums at the disposal of the politicians, they are being used as local militants, resurgence of urban urchin popularly called “area boys” and involvement of youths in anti-social activities. The foregoing constituted real danger and a serious threat to democratic governance in Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that government should reinvigorate and overhaul the entire educational system at all levels to create room for entrepreneurial education so that Nigerian tertiary institutions graduates could become job creators rather than job seekers. Hence, teachers at all levels of education must be properly rewarded and motivated in this regard.