An Economist, Mr Emmanuel Eze on Friday called on youths to be innovative by using the internet to earn a living, rather than using it to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians.
According to him, it will go a long way in checking the rising unemployment rate in the country.
Eze, the Chief Executive Officer, Perfecta Investment Company, Lagos said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that in the face of dwindling industrial output, youths should go beyond seeking paid employment which was not easily available.
Eze, who was reacting to the increasing unemployment rate in the country, said youths could set up small businesses by engaging internet services.
“With the emergence and spread of internet facilities, many youths can go into new frontiers to own their businesses and operate from any part of the country.
“Nigerian youths cannot be seen to be lagging behind because most small businesses few years back started through the internet and ours cannot be an exception,” he said.
He said it was wrong for youths to wait endlessly for white collar jobs that were not available to make a living.
According to him, it is time they become innovative by looking around their vicinity to sort out themselves.
He, however, urged the government to tackle electricity and pursue self-reliance policies that would engage the youth in productive activities.
Eze said though, the Federal Government had reduced the ease of doing business, more still needed to be done, especially the eradication of multiple taxation for startup entrepreneurs to encourage more Nigerians to own their businesses.
Eze reiterated that the challenges of doing business had been hectic for manufacturers, hence the high rate of unemployment and dependants in the country.
NAN reports that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the unemployment rate in the country rose from 13.9 per cent in the 3rd quarter to 14.2 per cent in the 4th quarter of 2016. (NAN)