YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Youth unemployment remains a major social and economic challenge in many urban areas, with significant implications for crime and social stability. This study examined the relationship between youth unemployment and the prevalence of crime in Oredo Local Government Area. The research focused on how limited access to employment opportunities among young people contributes to increasing criminal activities in urban communities.

The study adopted a quantitative research approach, with data collected through the use of structured questionnaires administered to respondents within the study area. The research was guided by Strain Theory, which explains how individuals may resort to criminal behavior when legitimate means of achieving societal goals are limited. Data obtained from respondents were analyzed to determine the relationship between unemployment and crime among youths in the area.

The findings revealed a significant correlation between high youth unemployment rates and increased involvement in criminal activities such as theft, robbery, and drug abuse. The study also identified other contributing factors, including limited access to education, inadequate vocational skills, and poor economic opportunities, which further aggravate the problem of youth crime.

The study concludes that youth unemployment plays a significant role in the rise of urban crime in Oredo Local Government Area. It recommends the development of sustainable employment opportunities, expansion of vocational and skills acquisition programs, and the strengthening of community support systems as strategies to reduce unemployment and mitigate its associated impact on crime.

The high rate of unemployment in Nigeria has been linked to a rise in social vices, particularly among young people. With limited opportunities for employment, many youths turn to criminal activities such as drug trafficking, fraud, kidnapping etc as a means of survival. This does not pose to the safety and security of society but hinders the country’s economic development. This study will focus on the pressures that make youths in the Nigerian society settle for social vices because of their unemployed state. It makes use of the qualitative research method to carry out textual analysis of the novels as it helps understand the view that both authors have towards Youth unemployment in the Nigerian society. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You by Chance and Chris Abani’s Graceland depict the psychological pressure and economic factors that makes youth settle for occupation that does not speak well of them. For instance, Kingsley in Nwaubani’s I do not come to you by chance decides to become a cyber fraud and Elvis in Abani’s Graceland engages himself in different illegal jobs. This essay does not focus on government as the cause of unemployment but reveals that Youth unemployment contributes to social vices in the Nigerian society and concludes that, if reduced, will curb vices in the Nigeria society.