It’s a day filled with joy, laughter, and excitement. It is a day filled with thousands of “congratulations”. It’s a day when thousands of youths will enter a new phase of their life.
It is a day thousands of Nigerian graduates are passing out after completing their one year compulsory service to the nation. It is the day that marks the ritual ‘Passing out Parade (POP)’ of corps members. It is the 6th day of October 2016.
November 2015, thousands of Nigerian graduates were received at their respective camps across the country amidst anxiety, smiles, hopes, and excitement. They stayed for weeks in these camps, and were later sent to their Places of Primary Assignment (PPA).
It is generally called “National Youth Service Corps”, a scheme created to promote peace and interrelation amongst tribes, cultures and regions in the country, but I call it the National Year of Self Consciousness. It is true that the generally accepted NYSC was created to promote peace, but I believe it is also a time for the graduate to plan his or her life after school. The NYSC service year is filled with lots of fun and adventure, and many get carried away by these. They get carried away by the very pretty ladies; the cool handsome guys; the freedom and fun. They fail to realise that NYSC is just a very tiny phase of their life that will pass just like the 4, 5, or 6 years in the higher institution passed away.
They fail to think on their lives outside service – they fail to provide answer to the question, “what next after service?” Only a few are able to think, ponder and plan a life after NYSC.
The many who fail to utilize this period of Self-consciousness, come to this realization weeks before their POP. They come face-to-face with the very bold question ‘what next’ . Then the fear of uncertainty steps in. Their anxiety and fear increases as each day leads closer to the POP. Then the POP eventually comes!
They are then released into the labour market without plans and strategy. And since our education system is built to produce job seekers, they join the already overcrowded unemployment queue. Frustration and possibly depression may set in if not checked.
The fact remains that the Nigerian labour or “favour market” as some graduates call it, can hardly accommodate ten percent of the products that leave the school system every year. It is also true that millions of graduates are roaming the streets jobless, and the government cannot employ everyone.
In fact the situation is now worse with thousands of people losing their jobs; Just last month (September) it was reported that MTN Nigeria sacked over 1000 of its contract staff without any form of benefits or compensation, with most of these people committing 5 to 14 years of their lives to the company. It was also reported that the company had slashed the salaries of some of those not sacked from ₦120,000 to ₦40,000.
Earlier this year we were greeted with the news of mass sack by commercial banks operating in the country; 1200 from Zenith bank, 800 from Access bank, 400 from Skye bank, and 320 from Unity bank. The construction industry also sacked 60,000 workers, while La Casera retrenched 1300 staff.
And according to the National Bureau of Statistics, 2.6 million Nigerians lost their jobs between the first and second quarter of 2016; and in just one year between the third quarters of 2015 and second quarter of 2016, about 4.58 million Nigerians became jobless. According to the NBS, the national unemployment rate is now at 13.3%.
Now this is not to scare you, but to bring you to the realization of the reality on ground. Gone are the days when people brag about working in a Telecom company or bank. Gone are those days when a graduate should rely on his certificate. This is very unfortunate and disturbing for us graduates. But there is a solution.
The solution lies within you and within the economy of Nigeria. We’ve got to look deep on our inside and discover or re-discover ourselves, because sometimes what we studied in school is different from what we are wired to do…our passion, talents, potentials and strengths. The solution lies in building a career around our passion, talents and potentials. You could package your talent and sell it, learn a skill, or start a business. If you are fortunate to get a job after today, then congratulations.
But if not, my advice to you is to keep that certificate under the box and get on the field – the field of developing a skillset, discovering and selling talent, turning passion into profit, and building a business.
This solution is actually not for everyone; some people are wired to come on board the ship after it has been built by the entrepreneurs…not everyone is a starter. But many have what it takes to build talents and businesses – many are entrepreneurial. It is these set of people that this solution is meant for. You may be wondering if it is possible for you to build your own talent into a career or start a business. The truth is it is tough but very possible.
Every day a reasonable number of youths that are not graduates try their hands in things like music, comedy, movies, photography, trading, merchandising, etc. You should leverage on your schooling experience. A graduate of Physics who decides to go into photography should do better than a street photographer. A chemistry graduate who decides to go into soap production should do far better than a road side soap maker.
All he needs do is apply his knowledge of Saponification and other chemistry, gain some street smarts, build a great team and get into the market.
Opportunities abound in Nigeria! No doubt, it is tough to make it in Nigeria, and getting even tougher, but it is very possible. While many are busy shouting recession and spending their time talking about Buhari and the APC, others are creating solutions and building successful businesses and careers. For instance, it is in this same Nigeria that Abiola Olaniran, CEO of Gamsole lives and does business. His company’s games now has more than 9 million downloads on the Windows phone store. Another Nigerian, Olatorera Oniru, founder of Dressmeoutlet.com, an online retailer of fashion products, health and beauty products and home goods is doing well with her business. She now employs more than 20 full-time employees, and has funding offers from notable investors in the likes of Tony Elumelu.
Last month (September) Kasope Ladipo-Ajai won the She Leads Africa Entrepreneur Pitching competition in Lagos. She is to receive $10,000 dollars in prize money, tech prizes from Etisalat, mentorship and 3 months support from Zippy Logistics. She is hitting the ground running with a NAFDAC approved product called Omo Alata; a mix of parboiled fresh tomatoes, pepper and onions with no preservatives or additives.
The opportunities are there, just open your eyes and see them. You can do it…you can be the next big name in entertainment, Literature, business, etc.
As Globacom puts it, “Wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you do, whatever your idea, if you believe in yourself there are no limits to what you can achieve”. This is my best advert ever (I don’t know why Globacom stopped that advert). Or as Psquare puts it in their song ‘Bring It On’, “I don’t care who you are, where you from or what you do, just as long as you chasing money, do what’s right never give up on it…”
One thing I know for sure is that Nigeria is a nation of consumers; virtually anything sells in Nigeria. There is a ready market for your product.
The population alone is an opportunity for entrepreneurship to thrive. Your duty as a graduate today is to look for what to sell to this huge consumer population. To begin with, look at the Agriculture sector and think of something – food is big business. What about the tech industry? Opportunities abound there too. Whatever you do, never put your life after school in the hands of the government or remain permanently on the unemployment queue.
I join thousands of Nigerians today to say a big “congratulations” to the corps members who passed out yesterday. I say welcome to a new phase of your life! To those who have been able to plan and strategize their lives I say well-done. To those who are yet to arrive at an answer to the question ‘What Next After School?” I say it is not late.
What you need do is take out time after today to really think and come up with a plan and strategy for your life. To all outgoing and incoming corps members I say ensure you have a plan and strategy and work at it. Once again, Congratulations.
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