Southeast youth unemployment worries Ohanaeze, floats council of business leaders

By: Dikachi Elemba

Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, a business mogul and chairman, council of elders, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has lamented over the growing rate of youth unemployment in the South-East geo-political region of the country, describing it as a vexed issue.

This, he said, has caused untold hardship, frustration and agony among the youths forcing some of them who are university graduates and other graduates of other institutions of higher learning to take to menial jobs, including as commercial operators of tricycles, and motorcycles, bricklaying and carpentry to keep body and soul together.

As part of measures to remedy the sad situation, Iwuanyanwu, an elder statesman said that a council of business leaders of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation (Ohanaeze Ndigbo) will soon be set up in the South-East region with a credible board of trustees (BOT) who will disburse funds to the youths.

Iwuanyanwu disclosed this while receiving graduates of the Innoson Kiara Academy, Nnewi, sponsored by the Iwuanyanwu Foundation, who paid him a thank you visit after completing the one year training programme they received through the Foundation.

According to him, membership of the council would be contingent on the establishment of a functional business in the South East, which has employed at least 10 unemployed Igbo youths, by the entrepreneurs.

He also commended the Innoson Group for establishing a motor manufacturing company in Nnewi saying, “he has done a lot to make us proud in the automobile industry and the South-East should make it a top priority for us to patronise him.”

Iwuanyanwu enjoined the youths to take their jobs seriously so as to excel in their vocation and also stem the tide of accidents on the nation’s highways

“We are more than 60 million in population in the South East and if you employ some youths, it will make a strong impact on our economy and create a good environment,” he said.

Lazarus Vincent, who led the group on the visit, had earlier told Iwuanyanwu that they were in his office to thank him for the one year training opportunity offered them by his Foundation in the Academy.