The removal of hope from any individual turns such an individual into a ticking time bomb. This is what unemployment and the lack of prospects has turned Nigeria’s youth into, as witnessed by the recent EndSARS protests, during which several lives and livelihoods were lost. Nigeria’s population has about 40% of it below the age of 40, and most of these are unemployed, with little prospect of getting the necessary education or training that may lead to employment. This, coupled with the scenario where wealth is flaunted by the elite, and where obvious corruption is unfettered and unpunished, has created a potent mix where the country is sitting on a powder keg of explosives, and the EndSARs protests were just a forewarning of what is to come, if things are not urgently addressed.

The issue of jobs, job opportunities and vocational training must be urgently addressed, as this is the only way to provide hope for a better future for Nigeria’steeming youths.