Abstract:
Nigeria has over 57% of its population as youths. The nation is rich in human and mineral
resources, yet the level of youth unemployment continues to rise and to pose serious socioeconomic and political threats. The aim of this study was to highlight the strong link
between the high level of youth unemployment and the rising tide of violence and
criminalization of the public space in Nigeria. In other words, we argued that the youth
routinely took out their frustrations in violent and criminal forms. The study was set in
Aba, city of Abia state, which is arguably the largest commercial town in the south-east
region of Nigeria. It is also synonymous with violent and criminal social breakdowns. This
empirical study adopted a multi-phase sampling technique for the data collection
procedure, including the distribution of questionnaires, extensive library research and
personal observation. By implication, both primary and secondary sources were used. The
results show that youth unemployment was on the increase and government efforts alone
were inadequate to solve the problem. In conclusion, the all-hands-on-deck approach was
advocated. This entailed that the visibility of the church at almost every level of community
life, especially at the grass-root level must be used as a vital platform to reach the people.
Thus, it was recommended that the church should actively tap into the multifarious
professional capacities of her members and use them as resource persons to creatively
tackle the problem of youth unemployment.