SAGBAMAN: Academic Journal of Arts & Humanities

Youth Unemployment and Its Effects on Societal Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions

Vol. 3, Issue 1 (2026) Published: August 20, 2026

Abstract

Abstract Nigeria's struggle with youth unemployment has intensified into one of the defining crises of the nation's development trajectory in the twenty-first century. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2022) reveal that more than one in three Nigerians between 15 and 35 years of age cannot find work, and when underemployment is factored in, the combined rate climbs past 49 percent nationally. These figures translate into millions of young lives stalled at the threshold of productive adulthood a loss that carries consequences far beyond the individual. The economic output foregone, the taxes uncollected, and the human potential squandered represent a structural drag on the country's development that compounds with each passing year. This article provides a rigorous, evidence-grounded examination of the crisis its origins, its societal reverberations, and the pathways through which it can be durably resolved.

Keywords

Youth Unemployment Nigeria Societal Development Skills Development Public Policy

How to Cite

Becky Ebitimi, A. (2026). Youth Unemployment and Its Effects on Societal Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions. Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Journal, 3(1), 1–18.

Becky Ebitimi, Akpe. "Youth Unemployment and Its Effects on Societal Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions." Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, 2026, pp. 1–18.

Akpe Becky Ebitimi. "Youth Unemployment and Its Effects on Societal Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions." Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Journal 3, no. 1 (2026): 1–18.

Becky Ebitimi, A. (2026) 'Youth Unemployment and Its Effects on Societal Development in Nigeria: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions', Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education Journal, 3(1), pp. 1–18.

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