Monday, 27 June 2016

UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA


The rate of unemployment in Nigeria, is assuming a frightening dimension. Many graduates roam the streets looking for jobs after graduation, without success. Today, we will beam our searchlight on the experiences of unemployed graduates in Nigeria. The following are the stories of young Nigerian graduates, and things they resorted to doing, to fend for themselves.


CHIDINMA Ifediba is drained. She is bolstered up chasing for jobs. When she  finished from the university four years ago, she was idealistic about her profession.  However, all her high aspirations have been dashed by the gnawing un­employment situation in Nigeria.
At this moment, Chidinma is trading on recharge cards, and soft drinks, just to keep body and soul together. Her every day routine includes getting up at 5am to arrange  her items. She then places them in a wheelbarrow, puts the beverages in a cooler with ice cubes and positions herself at the bus stop near her guardian's home at Ojule­legba, Lagos.
For her clients who make the most of her day by day delicacy, she's only a young lady attempting to bring home the bacon, however she views herself as an unful­filled lady who has not completely re­alised her life's fantasies. She trusts that one day, fortunes will favor her and she will land a position. Until then, she remains a coincidental business­woman.
Chidinma is not the only one. She is among many Nigerian gradu­ates who are unemployed after strug­gling to scale through the university, polytechnics and colleges of educa­tion and turned out with great degrees.

      Numerous Nigerians are accustomed to seeing these graduates parading the boulevards searching for paid employment years after leaving school and partaking in the required national youth ser­vice. Regardless of how hard a number of them battle, make hypotheses and position themselves, they appear not to make progress as unemploy­ment rate continues ascending in the nation.

    Some of these graduates have flooded mega churches just to get associated with their dream bosses. While some have been fortunate in such manner, despite everything others wobble  with un­employment.
Their relatives and companions are not left out of the chase for employments. They continue calling, sending messages and notwithstanding going to loved ones in big positions in some offices,
 to check whether there is an opening in their organizations.
Once in a while, individuals near them would quit picking their calls or re­sponding to their messages. They do that not on the grounds that they are evil or relentless, but rather in light of the fact that they have no employments to offer.

Terrifying unemployment insights

In March 2016, The National Bu­reau of Statistics
released, the coun­try's work insights for the final quarter of 2015 with the report put­ting the nation's unemployment rate at 10.4 %.

In the report, the authority clarified that the 10.4% unemploy­ment rate for the final quarter was an expansion of 500 premise point over the 9.9%  recorded in the last quarter of 2015. It said just like the case in past quarters, unemploy­ment and underemployment was higher for ladies than men in the final quarter of 2015.

For example, the report expressed that while 12.3%  of ladies in the work drive (those between 15‐65 willing, capable and effectively working or scanning for work) were unem­ployed in Q4 2015, another 22.0% of ladies in the workforce were underemployed in Q4 2015.

Then again, 8.8% of guys were unemployed in the final quarter of 2015, while another 15.7% of guys in the work force were underemployed amid the same time frame.

It reported that Nigeria with an un­employment rate of 10.4% in the final quarter of 2015 has a superior unemployment rate than in 66 coun­tries however more awful than 111 nations, in­cluding 23 African nations which have unemployment rates lower than 10.4%

The report peruses to some degree that, "Un­employment is not only a Nigerian issue. The International Labor Organization (ILO) on whose rec­ommendation most nations on the world's unemployment procedure is based including Nigeria, expresses that 201 million individuals all inclusive are un­employed and this may ascend to 219 million by 2019.

"With eight million Nigerians in fact unemployed (not includ­ing the 14.4% underem­ployed), this implies that a greater percentage of the world's unemployed are Nigeri­ans.

"if  we include the quantity of under­employed in Nigeria in light of a legitimate concern for looking for full time and beneficial em­ployment for Nigerians, then Nigeria will come to around 14% of  the world's unemployed."

Why are there  numerous unemployed graduates?

Absence of livelihood alternatives and open doors for Nigerian graduates can't be disregarded. In any case, when severe­ly examined, human asset specialists and administration advisors fire back that a great portion of Nigerian gradu­ates are unemployable.

Mr. Ayodele Ogunleye, a human resources officer  with one of the innovation organizations in Lagos, expressed that numerous unemployed gradu­ates do not have the obliged aptitude to be em­ployed.

He said that while getting a Uni­versity degree is critical, it is additionally a vital necessity for a gradu­ate to have a skill.

Ogunleye included that businesses are clearly tired of seeing  the same  people with  the same quali­fications turning up for job interviews, while they need individ­uals that can emerge.

For Mrs. Rita Ajubah, a manage­ment expert, numerous graduates are unemployable on the grounds that they are extremely restless and worried about mak­ing huge cash quickly as opposed to concentrating on the most proficient method to increase the value of the organization that desires to contract them.

She expressed that the power with which these adolescents concentrate on their compensation bundle fails to impress anyone, discussing hard working attitudes. They overlook the fact  that achievement comes  after some time and with diligent work, persever­ance, devotion and core interest.

''They overlook the fact that these employ­ers are out to utilize graduates who are excited about learning at work aside what they have learnt in school. Organizations nowadays are more fo­cused on utilizing individuals who can promptly convey thoughts to the table on how the organization can beat the com­petition and not somebody with low thinking ability who won't have the capacity to answer to interview questions."

Ajubah noticed that graduates are required to equip themselves with the goal that they can be alluded to as wor­thy and employable graduates, and not silly graduates who can't consider unheard of options.

Mr. Mark Babatope, another con­sultant said that occasionally, numerous graduates are still unemployable in view of some forthcoming em­ployers' unlikely requests. A portion of the necessities leave no space for new graduates. Candidates are required to be in a particular age bracket, have a specific degree and even have years of experience.

''By what method can a crisp graduate pos­sess experience, since he or she has not been given the chance to demonstrate their determination in any case? Nige­rian bosses ought to be kinder to crisp graduates. That is the reason they prepare these graduates taking after their occupation or probation period just to show them the intricacies of their new employments.''

Frantic options they investigate

Numerous Nigerian graduates who are worn out on sitting tight for occupations have been pushed into finding a way to end their joblessness. While some of them have proceeded to learn new skills or go for refresher courses to expand their chances of landing great positions, others have taken desper­ate elective courses to earn a decent living nowadays.



Numerous graduates now ride com­mercial motorcycles famously known as okada, just to earn a living, despite the risk involved in it.

Mr. Christian Bello is from Ad­amawa State. He is a youthful graduate from the University of Maiduguri. After  two years of unendingly trekking on the roads in  his state capital looking for a job, he requested money  from his relatives to purchase a bike.

He said that Okada business is dangerous yet it keeps him alive until the will of God is fulfilled and he gets a decent job with regards to fending  for his three sib­lings who are depending on him for food and money. He came to Lagos looking for a greener field but he is yet to get any.

As indicated by him, when he went for a job interview, he was denied em­ployment since he had no godfa­ther to make case for him. Towards the day's end, he was not able to get  the position even after he was interviewed.  The position was reserved for another person who knew somebody in the com­pany. That experience of over a year back smashed his trust of a promis­ing tomorrow.

''I don't care about this occupation yet what will I do? I am  turning into an undeniable okada rider with my certifi­cates in the house. I ply Mile 2, Maza axis. I am cheerful acquiring a liv­ing however in the event that if offered a superior occupation, I will willingly take it"

Another graduate, John Adamu lives in Alakija, Lagos. He graduated five years back however he's yet to get a job. He additionally depended on riding okada to fend for his young family as he got married a year ago.Despite the fact that he says that okada busi­ness does not support his scholarly capacity, he has declined to remain un­employed while sitting tight for a cubicle occupation.

"Okada riding is not a perfect employment for a graduate but rather we do it due to the current circumstance in the coun­try. Government can't create  employments for us.
What do you think this portends for our country? should this trend be allowed to continue?






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