CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The International labour organization (ILO) define ’unemployed ‘workers” as those who are currently not working but are willing and capable to work for pay. ( ILO REPORT 2001)

        Fajana (2000) and standing (1983) opined unemployment can be described as the state ofworklessness experience by person who are members of the labour force, who  perceived themselves and are perceived by others as capable of working.

        Unemployed people can be categorized into those who have never worked after graduating from the University and those who have lost their jobs thereby seeking new employment

        Being employed helps individuals gain sense of belonging and duty in their collective effort to contribute to the growth of their nation.

        Nigeria as a case study has fared judging from all parameters,  create the enabling environment for various sectors of the economy to be expanded to allow fresh entrants.

        According to the population research African has the fastest growing and most youthful population in the World. Over 40 percent (40%) of it population is under 15. African high fertility rate is responsible for this. This demographic finding portends challenges and opportunities, the challenges are economic and social both are highly connected. As the population expands jobs must be created. If these jobs are not enough there will be many young people unemployed. According to the International Labour Organization, 3 out of 5 unemployment people in African are African are young;

The World Bank Report (2008) titled “Youth Employment in African” the youth employment is more prevalent in urban areas worsening conditions in the rural areas lead to rural-urban migration. This compounds the unemployment challenges in the urban centers.

This is clearly evident in many big cites in Nigeria including Lagos, Ibadan ,Aba, Zaria, Asaba and Port Harcourt just to mention a few.

        The National Directorate for Employment  (NDE) was established in (1986) to combat mass unemployment among Nigerians arising from the apparent inability of macro-economic policy measure to open up job opportunity as the size of the jobless made up to school leavers graduates of tertiary institution and other able-bodies.Nigeria constitute serious threat to the stability of the Nation. The enabling Act (AP) 250 of the (1989) empowers the directorate, to design and implement articulate politices aimed at developing work programme with labour intensive