By Samuel Luka
A member of the Bauchi College of Arts and Science (BACAS) Old Students Association, Mr. Daniel Musa Mohammed, MNI, (Kagaman Deba), has warned that Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb over rising youth unemployment, drug abuse and idleness, especially in the North-East.
Mohammed gave the warning while delivering a lecture at the BACAS Grand Convention and Golden Jubilee Celebration held on Saturday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
He described BACAS, which gave him admission to the University of Lagos, as a vibrant educational institution where students enjoyed free tuition, hostel accommodation, excellent meals, soap and scholarship, with committed lecturers and adequate infrastructure.
"The ethics we learnt in BACAS helped us in our university education and our working places. Most of us have worked for 35 years and retired," he said.
Mohammed challenged his fellow alumni on their post-retirement contributions to society, drawing attention to the youth profile of the North-East.
Citing the National Youth Survey (NYS 2025), he said the region has 11.3 million youths aged 15-35 years, with females constituting 52.8 percent, lamenting that 42.2 percent of youths in the region have never attended school.
He attributed high out-of-school rates to conflict, displacement and humanitarian pressures in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
According to him, youth unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria ranges from 60 to 80 percent, while poverty rate in the North has risen from 70 to 86 percent, compared to 35 to 40 percent in the South.
"The net effect is a large army of idle youths with high dependency ratio, low investment capacity and high tendency towards social vices such as violence, drug abuse, gangsterism and crime," he said, noting that drug abuse among women, both married and unmarried, is assuming an alarming proportion.
He warned that the Arab Spring was fuelled by youth unemployment and cited a British Generation Next report which indicates that Nigeria risks social unrest over youth joblessness.
Mohammed said the economic implications include reduced GDP, lower consumer spending and a scarring effect of lifetime low earnings, while social consequences include rise in armed robbery, kidnapping, militancy, protests and substance abuse.
He identified agriculture, irrigation, solid minerals, oil and gas, ICT, solar energy, entertainment and tourism as viable sectors where BACAS alumni can harness their skills and experience to create programmes for youth engagement.
He called on the Association to constitute committees on economic development and humanitarian activities as its contribution to societal development.
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