The government has failed us : Unemployed graduates share their frustration
The frustration sometimes becomes multiplied when you go for a job interview and could not still get a job at the end. Some are lucky to get fixed somewhere by their godfathers who are in high places while those who don’t know the Man at the Top, roam the streets endlessly.
However, the recent Immigration recruitment organized by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) exposed how many graduates are in desperate need of employment across the country. Some unemployed graduates shared their frustration with ENCOMIUM Weekly…
DUPE ROTINWA: ’My sisters have been supportive’
I finished from Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, where I studied History and International Relations with a Second Class Upper Division. For three years now, I have been on the street in search of a job. As a matter of fact, being a woman and searching for a job is not easy because some of these men are only after getting in between your legs with a 50/50 chance of giving you a job. It has not been easy but my mother has been my angel until recently I lost her to a terminal illness, leaving me to the mercy of my sisters and I thank God they have been supportive.
Right now, I make chin-chin and take to offices to sell. At least, that is keeping me busy at the moment.
KUNLE OJUKOTIMI: ’I am tired of staying on the streets’
I attended The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo state. I studied Accounting. I graduated four years ago but I have not gotten a job. I am still at home with my parents. I have made efforts in submitting my credentials to so many organizations but I’m yet to be offered a job or called for an interview. At times, I stay in my mother’s shop to help out. It has not been easy. I am tired of staying on the street. I am willing to work but there is practically no job out there. Despite my joblessness, I have been able to come up with business ideas but there is no fund to back it up.
I am appealing to the federal government to come to our aid because there are millions of jobless graduates out there that need help.
SULIAT ADAMS: ’Life has not been easy without a job’
I attended Olabisi Onabanjo University (O.O.U), Ago Iwoye, Ogun state and studied Mass Communication. I graduated with a Second Class Upper Division. Since I graduated two years ago, I have been unable to secure a job even after my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). Life has not been easy, especially when you don’t have a job. I live with my parents, and step sisters and brothers. In order not to be completely useless to myself, I tend to help out at my father’s shop. Surviving this difficult times has not been easy but challenging. Creating jobs for millions of Nigerian youths should be the priority of the government at the moment.
EMMANUEL JOHNSON: ’It is very painful’
Emmanuel Johnson, 25 is a graduate of Economics from University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He left the university four years ago and ever since, has been surviving on menial jobs. He says, “It is unfortunate that one goes through the university and cannot find a job. Even more painful when you remember that your parents and sponsors spent millions to see you through the university only for you to still be a burden to them. There are times I can’t meet my basic needs. It is very painful. It is only God who sustains me, He has been my rock.
If we have a government that listens, I think something should be done to alleviate the suffering of the unemployed”.
DAMILOLA SALAMI; ’My husband has been supportive’
Since I finished in 2011, from Lagos State University, LASU, I have not been able to get a job. I have written several applications for job but I’m yet to receive a phone call for interview. Due to my age, I got married while in school. If I didn’t get married at that time, maybe it would have been easier for me to fend for myself because now I have to care for myself and my child whether I like it or not. Although my husband has been very caring and supportive all these years, at the same time, he is not financially buoyant, God has been faithful.
I plead with the government to listen to the voice of the youths and eradicate unemployment and miscreants on the streets.
AJALA SHITTU: ‘The government has failed us’
I graduated since 2010, from University of Lagos, UNILAG where I studied Business Administration. But I have not gotten a job. As a means of survival, I started “home coaching” children after school or at weekends. Presently, I live with my uncle at Ipaja and I feel ashamed of myself. It is very frustrating that our government is not doing anything to help us. Even, going into any form of business at this point is not easy because the economy is very bad. The major thing you need is fund and no one is ready to loan you. So, we have nowhere to go when the government has failed us.
TOYIN AGBOOLA: ‘What is the point of going to school?’
I studied Computer Engineering at Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure and graduated in 2012. I would say, life is not moving as it should because you expect that as soon as you graduate, you get a job, start earning salary and start living the life you want and also to meet your basic needs. But Nigeria just has a different story to tell.
What is the point of going to school when you have all the knowledge and you cannot apply it anywhere.
Why bother in the first place. Even after all the stress you faced in school, after you get out of school and you are still not sure of getting a job. It is sad.
GBENGA SHOYEMI: ’It is shameful’
I attended Tai Solarin University, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. I studied English Language and graduated in 2012. It has really been frustrating since I graduated because there is no employment in Nigeria. Disappointment and loneliness could be devastating. I would have preferred doing business but where is the capital? No bank is ready to grant you a loan without collateral.
Sincerely, I have been surviving through the assistance of my mother and friends. It is shameful going the extra mile to be a graduate and still remain unemployed.
Courtesy: Encomium
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