Cardinal John Onaiyekan has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s unemployment crisis, saying many young graduates are unable to think about marriage or starting families because they cannot secure jobs.

The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja made the remarks during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, where he reflected on Nigeria’s economic challenges following the recent meeting between the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and President Bola Tinubu.

‘The Important Thing Is the Life of Nigerians’

Onaiyekan argued that the success of any government should be measured by the welfare of its citizens rather than economic statistics.

“If we admit that the role of government is the welfare of citizens, then it means we are not going to judge the success of our government on the basis of the statistics from GDP, from the World Bank, or whatever. The important thing is, how is the life of the Nigerian?” he said.

Graduates Unable to Plan Their Future

The cardinal described youth unemployment as one of the country’s most pressing problems, noting that many graduates remain without work despite completing their education.

“The terrible thing now is many of our young people that have struggled to finish university are all going around with their degrees. They are unable to get a job. Therefore, they can’t even think of marriage. They can’t think of starting a family. They can’t think of planning their life. That is terrible,” he said.

Calls for Political Will

Onaiyekan warned that prolonged unemployment and frustration among young people could have serious consequences if left unaddressed.

He urged the government to demonstrate the political will to govern with honesty, fairness and justice.

“The only thing it takes is a political will to do the right thing, to be honest in how government is run, to be just to everybody, to be fair in this,” he added.