In 1938, Swedish workers unions and their employers signed the Saltsjöbaden Accord in the serene sea-side town of Saltsjöbaden on the outskirts of Stockholm. The agreement ushered in a consensus system of labour relations that remains a pillar of the Swedish economy which has remained the cynosure of all today.
Sweden became one of the most admirable economies in the world as a result. Its workers are also among the most secure. The Swedish situation had made such great American presidents like Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961) cringe with envy and critical admiration for the swedes. Indeed, Eisenhower and his biographers had attempted several times, albeit unsuccessfully, to distort history by obliterating the American president’s unpalatable remarks about the Swedish model, as it is known, because at the end he ate his words.
Sweden continues to thrive better than most countries, including the United States, with appreciable records of low crime rate, low unemployment, affordable housing and disappearing poverty. The only problem is that the country has become a little more unequal as it gets more efficient.
Sweden’s government has more boldly than others boosted public-service efficiency. Many schools are independently run, and health care management is bright. In Sweden, public services are designed to protect the poor. Sweden, despite its few setbacks, is among the world’s most admirable places, as well as one of the fastest-growing and fiscally stable countries in the rich world.
It would be naive to think that its model can simply be copied, because Sweden’s citizens are strikingly committed to social cohesion, and willing to work for the state to prosper.
So when last week PR troubadour Imam Imam disclosed Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal’s decision to register all unemployed youths of Sokoto state, I breathed one more sigh of relief. At last, someone is bringing civilization here. The key to most political victories in all civilized countries is the politician’s ability to stem the tide of joblessness. Bear in mind that when this comes, infrastructure would have already been in place, utilities are functional, transportation adequate, communication never dropping calls and schools never on strike. The only problem that never gets completely solved is the human desire for more. This has brought many otherwise progressive governments down. It has also led to the collapse of nations.
I have not seen the blueprint for Tambuwal’s proposal but knowing him to be a governor who never suffers fools gladly, I am eager to read the components of the puzzle that would become of his proposal. Technically speaking, the registration of jobless citizens is only a tip of the iceberg if the administrators of the program are not properly trained on the principles of job-creation and job placements. As someone who has reported Sokoto extensively in several capacities, I know the extent of despair in the state. The most unconcerned person who visits the state would feel the palpable hazards of unemployment by merely looking at the city’s streets. Besides, formal western education is in breach, though the caliphate is the cradle of education in Africa south of the Sahara.
However, I am wondering how the exercise is expected to cover 25000 youths in a two-year span: and how it expects to place all those registered in gainful employment. Knowing that creating jobs in these spheres is the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack, several people have expressed fears that this noble concern is likely to be hijacked by influential figures in government. Already, Sokoto had, over a long period, battled with faithless civil servants who feed on ghost-workers. This may well be an opportunity for them to feather their nests if the laudable program is not properly streamlined. The last dispensation of Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko had also embarked on a similar exercise and trained several thousand youths who eventually could not utilize their acquired skills.
What Tambuwal must include in his blueprint is a holistic sensitization of the handlers of this program so that its beneficiaries do not see it as another political jamboree. Indeed, the era of the governor’s convoy throwing money at the youths is considered technically over. The Chinese proverb to give a man fish, it to feed him for the day and to teach him to fish helps him for a lifetime should be the guiding principle.
Presumably, what Tambuwal is wittingly or unwittingly evolving is a covenant with Sokoto people. So, there must be, as is done in Sweden, established community secretariats from where this documentation will take place. While it will be impossible to find jobs for all at once, it is pragmatic to create the substitute program where apprentices are engaged with a well thought-out supervision mechanism which will create high quality workers, better motivated youths and a robust and thriving civil service. This will, as is again the case in Sweden, reduce crime and joblessness, embellish productivity and improve the self-esteem of the people of Sokoto state. It is a revolution that the governor can ill afford not to pursue to the letter.
