I WEEP FOR NIGERIA

 

    Well well well… I’ve got a lot on my mind of late. My thoughts can’t seem to wonder away from the ills inherent in our great and beloved nation Nigeria. I mean we are not doing badly compared to other African nations, however, we have the potentials to do and be better than we are today.

What exactly am I trying to say? Firstly, let’s take a look at the level of unemployment in Nigeria. It’s highly embarrassing. It’s a shame that our “graduates of glittering citadels’ (as the late Esiaba Irobi will put it) have to leave the country to seek for greener pastures in other countries. It was bad enough when people have to leave Nigeria for the United States, Europe, Germany, Australia, etc, not for business or pleasure: not even to work by invitation, but to go and look for work. It has become sooooo bad that people leave Nigeria to find greener pastures in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Togo, Cote d’voire and other neighboring nations surrounding Nigeria. Are we not supposed to be the ‘Giant of Africa?’ It’s a shame. It’s highly embarrassing. As a Nigerian living in Nigeria, one may not feel or understand what I am talking about, but if you are a Nigerian living in another country, then you will/may get me a little. Growing up, I heard stories of Nigerians who leave the country to become cleaners, taxi drivers, waitresses, etc abroad. Oh! Did I forget drug pushers, prostitutes, etc. I can’t stop but wonder, many years have passed since then and now and there hasn’t been any difference. Are we moving forward or backwards or are we simply standing still?

Ok, now that’s employment. Let’s look at the system of government. Hmmmmmm. Where do I start? I recall way back then in school. I loved Government as a course because it was quite expository considering it was all about the history of this great nation. Our founding fathers fought a lot to make this Nation one, what happened? What went wrong? I am very sure that they knew very well that we spoke different languages and had different customs and traditions. How come the different tribes and religions didn’t fight for independence then? I hope someone reading this can answer that question because I know many people are thinking like me.

Furthermore on government. Isn’t democracy a government of the people, by the people and for the people? However, what I see in my beloved country is a government of the people, by the rich and for the rich. Why do I say so? We have a system of government where everyone is encouraged to vote and select a leader, even though the people’s vote does not matter because rigging of elections have become a common thing in the political world. Now, once a leader is elected, aha! The people are relegated to the background. It becomes a battle between the bourgeoisies in the society. It becomes a competition of who can grab what and how much you can grab before your tenure is up. From the local to the federal government. No one is innocent. The delegates in their little offices squander the moneys given to them to take care of a project or a particular community or compensate their staff, etc. everyone playing God in one way or the other. After a few years, that government is over, another comes in and things begin to happen the same way all over again. What do we see then? A static system of governance and angry subordinates who decide to take laws into their own hands, hence, chaos!

   Once, a friend of mine relocating from Nigeria to South Africa told me, “I can’t wait to leave this country, in South Africa ALL the roads are tarred” I know ‘all’ is mere exaggeration, but it shows the extent to which the government have taken care of the surrounding that one can actually say that the whole place is tarred. The bible says, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Nigeria has been blessed with great natural resources enough to enable every citizen live an average life, but what is going on? If you look closely, you’ll find that 10% of the Nigerian population are in control of 80% of these wealth that belongs to the nation, while the remaining 90% of citizens are struggling for the remaining 20% wealth. I stand to be corrected. Nonetheless, why must it be so? Why?

Many Nigerians can claim to be rich, but can all of them proudly come out and declare the source of their wealth?

   How about development? Firstly, development is an act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining. It is also the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful. Fellow Nigerians, especially those who have lived abroad or who presently do or who wish to someday, can we proudly say our nation is improving, expanding, enlarging, refining, etc? I know we are not doing sooooo bad, but one can agree with me that we have the potentials to be much better than we are doing already. Check out our roads, the streets, some places like Abia State are nothing to write home about, our educational system is so “terrible” that the Nigerian certificate is “practically” invalid in most countries. Most Nigerians who travel out have to further their studies or take up some professional courses to upgrade their curriculum vitae. Many Nigerians flee our country to seek residency in other countries because life is easier, better and finer. Some prefer to be washing plates in restaurants, pushing drugs, cleaning and doing any other form of menial job abroad than be a banker in Nigeria.

Why is our country so rich and yet our people suffer greatly? Why is our country so rich and yet our people are humiliated in other countries? Why is our country so rich and yet our people are flown abroad to seek medical help? Why is our country so rich and yet our people flee from it on daily bases?

These questions and more are what we, especially our leaders should ponder on. Let’s build our land!!!!!

 I pray God will grant us great leaders who are not selfish. Leaders who will put the people first. Leaders whose greatest desire and ambition is to make Nigeria truly deserve the title ‘the Giant of Africa.’

God Bless Nigeria.

Why Many Nigerians Are Jobless!



 

 

Hmmmmmmm…this is another hot topic on my mind.     

I would love to start by stating what it means to be jobless. Joblessness is a state of being unemployed, a state of idleness and a state of not having anything to do. Joblessness in my own words is also a state of being very busy doing NOTHING!

So in my beloved country Nigeria, there exists a large number of unemployed youths. Ask a large percentage of these youths why they are unemployed, and they will blame it on the government. Hahaha. The government is not innocent, nevertheless, there is a saying that goes, “do not ask what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Funny enough, as much as people love to blame the government for the lack of jobs in the country, many Nigerian youths do not like to work in government parastatals. They love to work in oil companies, private companies, at airports, in hotels, etc. Reason is because everyone wants a ‘swag’ tagged to their place of work. For example: “I work with Chevron”, “I am a banker”, etc. Hence, the unavailability of such jobs to everyone that is unemployed and interested in them results in mass joblessness. if lives were to be viewed as a field, some people have allowed their own to lie fallow because they refused to till the ground, plant a seed, weed it and harvest in due season. Another set of jobless youths are people with a passion for a particular business or career. For instance, I learnt that our very own Emeka Ike, though a nollywood actor is a graduate of mechanical engineering. I also heard how a medical doctor, well at least, that’s what he should be considering what he studied owns one of the biggest restaurants in Nigeria (not very specific). Many graduates in Nigeria are jobless because they can’t find fulfilment in their field of study. Some people have graduated, and finally decided to follow their real passion, but not everyone finds it easy or are exposed to opportunities that afford the platform to pursue their dreams.

While some people have succeeded in breaking away from the limitations of a field of study to pursue their dreams, some can’t. Not because they don’t want to, but they just can’t. Everything; money, family, friends, the economy, etc is a limitation…a major setback to whatever they want to do. Some who are really interested in working (no matter the organization) find it impossible to get or hold down a job even three to four years after graduation from the university. A lot of factors however contribute to the large number of unemployed graduates roaming the streets. Join me as we take a tour through:

1.       No sense of purpose: This is a major reason for unemployment. So many people do not have a sense of purpose. They do not know or can’t figure out the purpose for their existence. Most times these people are merely existing. They go to school without knowing what they want to do with their lives when they graduate, by the time they realize how behind everyone else they are, most times, it has become too late. Nevertheless, it is better late than never.

2.       No vision: When you have a sense of purpose, what follows is your vision. You should have a picture of the future you want to have. This includes: career, marriage, etc. Someone said, “you cannot feature in a future you cannot picture.” Note, there is a difference between fantasy/disillusionment and a vision.

3.       No plan: Now, when you have a vision, you are able to plan towards turning that vision into a reality. This is where your short term and long term goals set in. you need find a way to plan your life, if you can’t do it by yourself, seek assistance from someone you can trust or do the ultimate, ask God for guidance.

4.       Laziness: This is a mega reason for joblessness. The bible says, “a lazy man quarrels with his tools.” Very true, listen, going out to look for a job is not struggling or hustling, it is taking a step of faith and it all depends from your point of view. So many people are hiding behind religion to sit at home with a belief that God will rain down manna from heaven on their behalf. Some have tried a couple of times and gave up. Well, giving up on job hunting isn’t the problem, the problem is, now that you gave up, what are you doing with your life? Quit looking for whom to blame. Quit blaming your ancestors, your poor father, your wicked uncle, the corrupt government, the capitalist economy, witches and wizards, etc…quit this mindset! Put your brain into use by trying to figure out something else to do with your life that definitely doesn’t involve sitting at home doing nothing.

5.     Lack of support: By lack of support I mean from, family, friends, guardians, etc. I think this is a major reason for joblessness because, really, everyone isn’t fashioned for a corporate job. Some people were destined to use a particular skill to get to the top. However, most times, parents and guidance are more interested in their children getting the highest form of education without digging deep to discover what talent their children have and love and harness it. This can result in a lack of motivation to excel in a field. For example, you wonder why your child has had three extra years in the university studying medicine, when he/she would have been excellent if he/she studied food and nutrition. Lack of support can result in laziness, lack of motivation, slacking, depression, sadness, no sense of fulfilment, etc. in extreme cases, an individual could become suicidal. Some parents like to realize their own dreams in their children instead of supporting their children to achieve their personal dream!

6.       Lack of an enabling environment: This is one of the biggest challenges facing Nigerians. I know that overseas, (some) young boys and girls…at least from fourteen years of age take up summer jobs or learn one skill or the other while in high school and most university undergraduates are student workers, which enables them pay their tuition sometimes. I know that in America, at 18, you can move out of your parents’ house and become independent and responsible for yourself. My point is, for Nigerians to move forward, we need to change our MODUS OPERANDI!

Instead of your children hanging out at their friends house during the holidays gossiping and talking about the opposite sex, send them off to learn a skill, get a ‘part time job’ or call it ‘holiday job’. It is not suffering or child abuse, it is giving your child a sense of responsibility! Undergraduates, during your holidays, don’t just travel round from one uncle’s or boyfriend’s house to the other, go get a job!…learn a skill, try to start a business that is student-friendly. I can assure you, you will hardly be broke in life. Your mates may laugh at you at first, but you’ll surely earn their respect overtime.

One of the reasons why we have so many prostitutes (corporate and commercial) and criminals (who blame it on government) is because, the everyday Nigerian parents over protect their children to the point that they become so dependent (on them) that at the event of their (parents) death or loss of wealth, the children can’t afford to adjust to the new state of things. They want to maintain a standard, hence are willing to do anything to get what they want. Start early to train your child to be independent, by supporting them in being responsible from a very tender stage.

 

   Furthermore, I’d love congratulate all Nigerians who didn’t wait for government, but has created job opportunities by using their skills, from the hair stylist, to the make-up artist, fashion designer, restaurants, hotels, schools (dance, music, film, acting, etc), shoe-making, businessmen and women, etc. Now, let’s say you graduated from school and you couldn’t get a job, so what? You mean you don’t have a skill you can put to use? Okay, let’s say you don’t have any skills, so what? You mean you can’t learn one? I know your answer might still be no, but one thing is certain, there must be a way.