“It is surprising that poverty grows in this country as population grows, especially in the North where you have low income families bearing score of children they cannot cater for. The more poverty that you have in a society without education, the more criminals you breed.
‘It is an eyesore and I think we have collective responsibility to solve this problem.”
These were the regrets expressed by the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who said that the rate of unemployment amongst the growing population, especially, the youths has been keeping him awake.
Dangote who spoke when a team of business executives from Lagos Business School (LBS), visited his multi-billion dollars refinery and petrochemical projects in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, said: “what keeps me awake at nights is not really the enormity of business ideas running through my mind, but it is actually high rate of unemployment in the country.”
The President of the Group stressed that the nation’s growing population should have been a blessing if the youth energy is harnessed to drive growth, but regretted that poverty increases with the population.
Dangote said that it is not the duty of government to create jobs, stressing that creation of enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive should be the focus of any government.
The business mogul who is Africa’s richest man said developed economies were not created by the government, but private sector which acts as drivers of growth and development.
He linked insurgency and militancy to unemployment, saying criminality would fester in a society where government does not encourage entrepreneurs to create jobs. [myad]
