Clerics charge youths to embrace entrepreneurship spirit

By Abdul Olalekan

Muslim, Christian and traditional religions clerics have charged Nigerian youths, especially the graduates, to have entrepreneurial spirit as they said this remains the best way to survive the current economic recession in the country.

The clerics, who spoke at the maiden outreach of the Taking All Men Brother (TAMEB), a non-profit organisation, in Lagos, noted that the current crop of graduates in the country are too lazy and are always waiting for high-paying jobs, while neglecting jobs that pay less.

Bishop S.T. V Adegbite, said to exit recession, productivity matters, and that graduates of nowadays have a wrong mindset as most of them want to be working in offices where they will be getting bumper salaries, forgetting that they have to start from somewhere.

While believing that there are jobs opportunities, especially when one looks at the huge population Nigeria is blessed with, he said instead for graduates to look for what they can do to create jobs, and employ more unemployed people, they want to be employed where they can make quick money.

“The unfortunate thing nowadays is that our youths are not thinking. There are three things that will continue to sell till the end of the world. They are; Food, Clothing and Shelter. These are lucrative lines of businesses that will generate profits, but the graduates refused to do them, because they feel they are too much for those jobs,” he stressed.

Saying that the current crop of youths is a wasted generation, he believes religions too contributed to unemployment in the country.

“Productivity matters to get out of recession. We are over-religious in this country. How will somebody be in church service on Tuesday 11:00 am, when his other colleagues are at work, believing God will provide for him or her? The way we practice religion here is sit down pray for good-paying jobs, believing God will provide for you. That is a lazy man’s religion. Our mindset is a problem that must be changed.

To exit recession, we have to produce and youths are an element of that process, he stated.

Amir/President, Risalatul-haq Da’wah Society International, Lagos, Alhaji Ustaz Jamiu Adegunwa, advised youths to engage in vocational courses, saying, most graduates have reservation for vocational jobs, such as carpentry, fashion designing, and so on. He urged religious leaders to always advise their members on what to do and must discourage idleness.

He also said, parents and relatives should desist from giving graduates money, but instead guide them on how to be successful in life. Don’t give them fish, teach them how to catch fish, he said.

Chief Priest, Kunle Olugbinde, said: “Vocational education is the most important things. If you have education and you can’t get job, you can always fall back to your vocational courses. ”