An industrialist, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadri, on Friday urged the Federal Government to ensure sustainable industrialisation in order to tackle unemployment and its attendant ills to the country’s economic growth.

Ajayi-Kadri, also the Director-General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos

He spoke against the backdrop of the unemployment indices of an estimated 13,000 job losses in the second quarter of 2018, mostly from the private sector.

He said the attendant effect of economic losses generated from the present unemployment situation in the country was worrisome.

“The effect of unemployment everywhere, particularly in Nigeria is a time bomb waiting to explode either in terms of social upheaval or economic downturn.

“Unemployment is a drain on the economy because one way or the other, the persons who suffer such fate must be maintained either by the government, relatives or the society at large,’’ the industrialist said.

Ajayi-Kadri urged the Federal Government to expend more effort to sustain the manufacturing sector which had been proven as the best acceptable means of abating unemployment.

“Every industry must have workers; people who operate in the large scale, the retails, machines, transportation, marketing and the likes.

“So, you see manufacturing provides a large value chain which when created and sustained, will guarantee employment generation,’’ he said. (NAN)

– Sept. 21, 2018 @ 16:09 GMT |