ICT and Pragmatism: Creating sustainable Employment for Graduates in Nigeria.

Abstract

This article is saying, in a nutshell. that a competently trained computer scientist and IT graduate has no business with unemployment because the Internet is a wealth creator and the engine house that makes this happen is the IT expert. The Internet is the biggest market place in the world. Online transactions in 2008 amounted to over USD $180 Billion and is estimated to grow to USD $263 billion in year 2012 (Credit Suisse). This paper will bring home pragmatism on how IT and Computer Science graduates can create jobs; employ others instead of waiting to be employed. The paper has lined up 23 revenue spinners, for the IT graduate. The actualization of job creation via the internet will depend to a large extent on the provision of the required ICT infrastructure and the promotion of broadband stimulus by government for extending internet access to the remote communities of Nigeria. This paper is significant because over 140,000,000 graduates of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions are jobless. This is further buttressed by information from the National Population and Federal Bureau of Statistics: The National Population Commission has said that the rate of unemployment in Nigeria rose from 21.1 per cent in 2010 to 23.9 per cent in 2011. The NPC, in the latest report on its website, said the nation’s economic growth had not translated into job creation. It said, “Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics clearly illustrated the deep challenges in Nigeria’s labour market, where the nation’s rapid economic growth has not translated into effective job creation [6]. Thus, unless there is effort to create self employment, this can galvanize unexpected revolution whose consequences will be very grave. The reading public will have to apply the advice provided in this article to create self employment.

Key Words: e-commerce, online transaction, broadband stimulus, unemployment.