Youth Unemployment And Rising Crime Rates In Nigeria
Egwu C., Nwogbo-Egwu C. C., Udensi A. C.
Keywords: Crime rate, development, unemployment, youths
Abstract
Peace and security are central to national development but the unemployed youths involvement in immoral acts or criminal acts do lead to breakdown of law and order. Also, unemployed youths are often manipulated in taking up arms to fight as militants during religious and ethnic conflicts, riots and as political thugs during election. Some of these youths are killed and masses of people are displaced from their ancestral or traditional homes and properties destroyed causing rising incidence of refuges and internal displaced persons. Through exclusive documentary analysis, this paper examines how activities of unemployed youths affect socio- economic development in Nigeria. Findings revealed that unemployed youths in Nigeria manifest behaviours such as alcoholism, prostitution, armed robbery, loss of self- actualization, laziness, family crisis, stealing, riots, thuggery, kidnapping, insecurity and drug smuggling. The paper recommends that government and private organizations should team-up to establish a body which would educate the unemployed youths on how to engage in positive self-appraisal.
Author Biography
Egwu, C.
Department of Sociology, University of Jos, Nigeria
Email: egwuchijioke@gmail.com
Nwogbo-Egwu, C. C., Ph.D
Faculty of Law, Bingham University, Karu, Nigeria
Email: decordys@gmail.com
Udensi, A. C.
Department of Geography and Planning, University of Jos, Nigeria
Email: anthonyudensi6@gmail.com