In recent years, the Southeast region of Nigeria has grappled with severe insecurity and youth restiveness, with many young people drawn into secessionist movements as a result of economic disenfranchisement and political disillusionment.
The ongoing unrest, characterized by clashes with security forces, the destruction of infrastructure, and widespread agitation for the actualization of Biafra, has had destabilizing effects on the region. In response, governors from the Southeast states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Abia have launched various youth empowerment programs aimed at addressing the alarming rate of unemployment and reducing insecurity.
However, these belated efforts, while commendable, appear to only tackle the symptoms of a much deeper issue—the region’s long-standing underdevelopment and marginalization, which are widely believed to be the root causes of both the unrest and the calls for secession.
In Anambra State, Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has rolled out the “1youth2skills” program, now in its second phase. The initiative seeks to equip youths with vocational and entrepreneurial skills, offering them a pathway out of unemployment and into self-reliance.
Soludo, in launching the second phase, stated that the program would “teach them how to fish and eliminate hunger.”
Some of the skills that would be learned are listed as follows; furniture, metal fabrication, aluminum fabrication, CCTV installation, confectionary, and leather works as part of the skills.
However, while the program attracted over 183,000 applicants, only 8,620 youths were selected for participation in this phase, reflecting the limited capacity of these initiatives to address the broader issue of widespread joblessness.
Anambra’s initiative is part of a broader strategy to reduce crime and unrest by keeping youths productively engaged. The state’s Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Patrick Aghamba, explained that the training lasts for eight months, after which participants are expected to receive start-up capital from the government to establish their own businesses.
“We want to use this to reduce the crime rate in the state. The training will commence soon. It is called the One Youth Two Skills program.
“Phase A is for courses that will take four months and phase B is for courses that will take six months. It is a vocational training and the last phase is entrepreneurship, which is for one month. We will also use one month to do capturing. So the project timeline is eight months,” he said.
Aghamba also explained that participants do not have to be indigenes of Anambra, as long as they reside in the state, underscoring the inclusive nature of the program.
“The age range of the trainees is from 18 to 45 years. It does not matter if you are from Anambra or not, so long as you reside here in Anambra.
“The idea is that even if you’re not from Anambra but you reside here, if we take you out of the street and empower you with skills, the tendency is that you will not be a problem to society, and the rate of crime in the state will reduce,” he said.
Yet, as Osita Obi, coordinator of the Anambra Keke Drivers Union, pointed out, while such initiatives may help reduce crime by empowering young people, they are unlikely to fully solve the issue. Obi notes that some societal deviants remain regardless of the availability of opportunities, reflecting a more complex and entrenched issue.
“For me, I do not think that this initiative can solve crime, but it can contribute a little quota. Every society has deviants, and such deviants, whether there is a job or not, still engage in crime. But on the whole, what the governor is doing is commendable and should be emulated by all,” he said.
Similarly, in Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodinma has introduced the “One Kindred One Business Initiative” (OKOBI), designed to encourage communities to establish businesses that the government would help register as cooperatives.
The Imo State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Declan Emelumba, explained that the program aims to ensure every community has an economically viable venture, but critics argue that such piecemeal efforts do not address the scale of underdevelopment in the region. Currently, there are more than 150 OKOBI registered in Imo State.
While this initiative seeks to stimulate economic activity in rural areas and create jobs, its broader impact is limited by its focus on individual communities rather than a comprehensive regional development plan.
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has similarly sought to empower small businesses through a N1 billion matching fund aimed at boosting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Mbah’s administration has also disbursed grants worth N4.6 billion to farmers and IT startups, reflecting an effort to stimulate economic growth from the bottom up.
Performing the flag-off, the governor had said it was important to “nurture small-scale entrepreneurs for sustainable growth through the provision of the key enablers since they remain the lifeblood of economic development.”
The intervention included N400,000 disbursement to 187 beneficiaries, N7.5m each to 10 tech startups, an operational grant for solar equipment to 256 beneficiaries, laptop computers, and POS terminals to 269 beneficiaries, and the disbursement of N60,000 to over 16,000 beneficiaries, mostly comprising owners of nano-enterprises on a ratio of 80:20 in favor of women.
In Abia State, Governor Alex Otti has focused on digital skills training and modern farming techniques as a way of empowering young people.
Last month, 300 youths completed training in modern farming techniques at CSS Global Integrated Farms in Nasarawa State, with Abia Governor Otti promising full government support to help them start food production immediately upon their return.
Additionally, Otti has taken significant steps to promote economic growth in rural areas by disbursing N1 billion in interest-free loans to 10,000 people involved in nano, micro, and small businesses. Seventy percent of the beneficiaries are women and youth from across the state’s 184 political wards. Otti is also committed to enhancing digital skills for youths by promoting STEM education, technology, and entrepreneurship to prepare them for job opportunities in the digital economy.
While these initiatives have garnered praise, they also face skepticism about their ability to make a significant dent in the high unemployment rates that drive youth involvement in crime and secessionist movements.
Security experts are pointing out that these initiatives will do little to address the deeper grievances of marginalization that have long plagued the region. While these programs may provide temporary relief by offering job opportunities, they fall short of addressing the structural issues driving unrest and the call for secession.
The Southeast region has long felt marginalized in national politics, with underinvestment in infrastructure and industries, poor access to federal resources, and a lack of meaningful representation in key decision-making bodies. These grievances have fueled the calls for secession, with many youths believing that the Nigerian state has failed to adequately provide for their future.
Nevertheless, the governors themselves have not been immune to criticism. They have been largely blamed for the underdevelopment of the region, with accusations of corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of vision for sustainable economic growth. Thus, many argue that while the governors’ recent moves toward youth empowerment are necessary, they fall short of the bold, comprehensive plans required to reverse the region’s marginalization and foster long-term development.
There has been little indication that the governors have any real strategy to address the infrastructural decay, poor governance, and economic exclusion that have driven the insecurity in the first place.
In essence, while the recent youth empowerment initiatives represent a step in the right direction, they are viewed as reactive measures aimed at addressing the consequences of underdevelopment rather than the root causes.
Security experts believe that without a coordinated effort to tackle the broader issues of marginalization, infrastructural neglect, and political exclusion, the Southeast is unlikely to see a long-term resolution to the insecurity that continues to ravage the region.
It has been noted that the calls for secession are not just about joblessness—they are about a sense of alienation from the Nigerian state, a perception that the region’s potential has been stifled by years of neglect. Experts believe that until these fundamental issues are addressed, the empowerment programs, while laudable, are likely to be seen as little more than band-aid solutions to a much deeper wound.
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