Unemployment: Are There No Jobs?

When I was an undergraduate in one of the Nigerian universities, I was full of hope. I was as proud as peacock and overtly displayed pride. The slogan “Greatest Nigeria Students!! great. Greatest kposaa!!! Great was our exclamation those days. I remembered clearly in one of my sophomore days when I looked down upon some jobs and openly boasted that I would never stoop so low to take them when I graduated. On graduation, I basked on the euphoria of the achievement made. Now that I am a graduate, I have received the highest shock of my life. The bliss waiting for graduates has dissappeared. The job is not forth coming! The available ones are reserved for graduates from well heeled families, or extremely brilliant students.

Today, the once pride Nigerian student has taken to driving job, and all kinds of menial jobs name them.. The future is still filled with uncertainty. At first no academic that worth his salt would stoop so low to trade his degree for less fancied unskilled jobs. how is the Mighty falling! Today we have even doctorate degree holders stooping so low to a less fancied driving job. Ask me today if I can still shout “Greatest Nigeria student” I will look at you sternly, wave my shoulders, wave my hands, and finally ask you if you are mocking me. Where is the bliss that used to await us upon graduation? we paid through our nose to get these degrees, and do not deserve to parade the street long before we get these jobs. This is really sad and portends great danger for the future of our country. We have sat long at home bemoaning ourself.

Each time I hear about how our collective commonwealth is being embezzled, I ask myself if our leaders are really considering the masses. My worry is the constant rate of money laundering that far surpasses the solution to curb these unemployment rate, and no nexus between the education institutions and the productive sector of the economy. These are the major causes of unemployment in Nigeria. By the time the government increases the numerical strength of the various sector of the economy, this unemployment will be reduced to the barest minimum.

Those who are advicing graduates to be self employed should know that to do so is capital intensive which is not at our disposal. And even in most cases it is a long term commitment that does not yield instant profit. It is true that the absorptive capacity of the labour market in Nigeria has shrunk significantly, making it increasingly difficult for graduates to secure job. But my question is this, has the government done the necessary things to absorb these graduates? Left for me, the jobs are there if not for a fraudulent intent by some people in charge. Ghost workers are they not human being? Unemployment has been on the front burner in the national discourse and yet the governent does not seem to budge. Double the numerical staff of the existing workers after all they are grossly understaffed. Take for example, the education sector where some lecturers are teaching up to five universities. The government needs to devout more resources to them not abysmally funded.

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13 COMMENTS

  1. To be self employed is a wise calling….but one day we shall be left wth only graduate traders on our streets wth no doctor,engineers,phamacist,and economics to plan our lives for us…..God save a country where after studying i need to throw my degrees away just to be self employ….Dead leaders.visionless people

  2. I don’t what is intention of our youth based on employment,which message are they passing to upcoming ones.A graduate without job,how are you people reasoning? Or do prefer youths to gain their living with gun or matchet other than their intellectual. Please put your house in other

  3. Hmmm,i hv listened to interviews involving our governors,president etc and everytime they aske them wht they are doing about job creation they always answer by saying the youth should embrace enterpreneurship like say na stone dem dey take start am…i look from colonial masters to police and then to our present leaders and already it was difficult to tell which is which.in d begining they play cool(a lion playing d lamb,wht an aberation of nature) and at d latter end they leave the people impoverished

  4. what a good talk.Another thing is that those canvasing for entreprenuership are there in the civil service not willing to retire as they keep on getting younger year by year by changing their age. they are politicians who will keep on contesting to become councillor, chairman, commisiioner, secretary to SG,house of rep, senator, deputy governor, governor,vice president, president then later minister, ambassador, UNO, WHO , chairman of parastatal etc etc. Yet they will never want to live the post for the younger ones. The are also in the university never willing to leave even at 70 official age to pave way for the younger ones. They are outside the country but will tell you things are not rossy out there but they have been there for decades and never willling to return! God will save the younger generations from enemies within the country Nigeria oooooo

  5. Just like Jesus, I wept! A nation endowed with plenty of natural and human resources to become a shear victim of massive unemployment is an abysmal aberration. Our forefathers fought tooth and nail to make Nigeria a place of pride as evident in stories shared to us by our fathers who were very comfortable at their youthful age but can’t maintain the core values of the hero past now that the baton and crown is with them. What a shame! Our fathers has failed us, how do we strive not to likewise fail our children? Father(s) act fast before your ancestors cast a spell on you.

  6. our leaders should count themselves lucky having peaceful unemployed graduates,unlike some other countries which results on attacking dose bad leaders and rich families relatives and children. A time would come which……., God help us.

  7. Guys, stop whining. Truth is everyone has a part to play. I’ve started playing my part by starting a seminar series titled; ‘Everything you know about getting a job is WRONG!’. This series is dedicated solely to helping youths think and proffering a solution to this unemployment scourge. If you’d like more info on this or would like to partner with me on this audacious initiative, you may call or text 08029299274 or 07062022646.

  8. But seriously, are Nigerian graduates employable? Think about it…. 80% of so-called graduates can hardly defend their diplomas, can’t even speak or write in English effectively. Nigerians dream of making fast money and not getting a job. Most people in power running the administration has never worked or never been employed in their life thus they actually know nothing about job creation. The policies as regards rights of workers and proper working policies and laws are never put in place like other developing countries. Its a big mess!

  9. There are no jobs for three reasons;
    1. Everybody think, only white collar jobs are high paying jobs. They are not, financial geniuses like Bill Gates
    2. Employers always cheat and practise perfectionism. When employing people
    3. People graduate, with poor G.P.A from universities

    Whenever money is involved in a deal. People always cheat, and select only those who are “over qualified”. But when the deal is free of charge. The same people, will meet those who are unqualified. If advertisements where free. Companies would meet any tom, dick and harry. To do the adverts. But because it isn’t, they meet mainly celebrities. (no offense, to people who do adverts). If playing drums or guitars, was free of charge. People doing marriage or funerals. Would hire people, who aren’t even drummers. I once submitted an article, to a content writing website. They said, because I don’t have paypal. They won’t pay. When I got the paypal, they said I should bring internnational passport. After eveything, they said they don’t have money to pay