When she graduated from one of the universities in the South-West in 2010 after studying agricultural economics, Oyenike Ojo hoped that she would get a lucrative job immediately after undergoing the o
ne-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps, a scheme set up by the Federal Government in 1973 to foster development and unity among Nigerians.
She said, “I applied for jobs almost everywhere, sent my CV to family and friends who asked me to. But there is no job anywhere; that is why I am working temporarily as a teacher earning a meagre salary. The programme targeted about 500,000 youths, spread across the 774 local government areas of the country, who were deployed to teach in public schools, act as health workers in primary health centres
While Ojo continues to search for her dream job, her current salary can be said to be ridiculously less than half of that of a corps member, who earns N33,000. Her salary is exactly half of the new minimum wage of N30,000, which has yet to be implemented in many states of the federation. “Thankfully, my siblings are better paid where they are working, so my parents get some stipends from them. But as the last child and only female, I ought to also care for my parents while they are still alive. I hope to be able to do that soon.”Another graduate, Moses Akano, who teaches at a private secondary school in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said he was earning N25,000 per month, which is N8, 000 less than a corps member’s allowance.
Twenty-seven-year old Chika Nwabuikwu, who graduated from a polytechnic in Edo State, said she had to settle for a sales attendant job in Benin City when she couldn’t get her dream job. “My parents are retired and thank God they earn monthly pensions; if not, I don’t know how I would be able to take care of them at their old age. I am intensifying efforts to get a better job because I feel awkward every morning going to a job that is far below my skill.
Likewise, in its 2019 report, the International Labour Organisation estimated youth unemployment rate in Nigeria to be around 20 per cent, even though the country has the largest economy in Africa, in addition to high human and natural resources. Labour that falls under the underemployment classification includes highly skilled workers working in low-paying or low-skill jobs. In this case, an individual is working but not working at their full capability.A second class upper graduate of Biology, Margaret Ekwealor, works as an attendant at a grocery supermarket in Ikeja, Lagos, earning N30,000 per month, which is also below a corps member’s monthly allowance.
He said, “I tried so hard to get a job. I have written several application letters and submitted CVs to many companies across the country but I’ve got no response yet. He said, “To get a job in this country is not easy at all. In fact, everything seems to be hard in Nigeria. To get university admission was a struggle for me; now finishing the university and not getting a good job is another struggle.
She said, “I’m doing the job not to stay idle. Sometimes I sit down and ponder what is going wrong. I mean, for the past two years, I’ve been looking for a better job but I have got none. He said, “Initially, I was not going to take up any job less than N100,000. I thought to myself, ‘How could I lose a job of N120,000 and then take up one less than N100, 000?’
“I didn’t know the word ‘executive’ added no meaning to my title. I thought the pay was big and I would be chauffeur-driven like a real executive. We even did thanksgiving in my home when I was given the employment. An analyst with an investment firm at Victoria Island, Lagos, Mr Tope Oni, said most private companies that paid low income to graduates usually did so because of the huge running costs they incured, hence the need for them to cut other expenses like salaries.
Meanwhile, as the job market is saturated, a Lagos-based career coach, Dr Jadesola Bamidele, said getting a dream job was no longer served on a silver platter.She said, “It’s no longer enough to graduate with a first class or second class upper or whatever and think employers will be wooing you. If a graduate is unable to demonstrate that they have the skills and abilities employers are looking for, then they will keep complaining of not getting a good job.
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