The persistent unemployment situation in the country has forced many highly qualified graduates from so-called ‘Ivy League universities’ to seek less dignifying positions in the labour market, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf
To say that Dafe Akpos (not real name), 54+, is enjoying the good life is clearly an understatement. As a fresh school leaver, he left Akure, in the then Western region in the mid 70s, where he lived with his parents to Warri, the then Midwest, in present Delta State, in search of greener pastures, armed with just his Standard Six certificate (as it was then called, which is equivalent to the First School Leaving Certificate today), a pair of trousers and a few T-shirts.
In no time, he secured a job with Gulf Oil, now Chevron Nigeria Limited, one of the leading oil majors operating in the country, where he has worked for a record two decades, not only enjoying the good fortune of working in a multinational company but has made good in life, what with his material acquisitions both home and abroad.
For fresh graduates, things really looked rosy for them back in the days as they were headhunted right from campuses by different multinationals who wooed them with all kinds of mouth-watering offers such as official cars, tastefully-furnished residences complete with gardeners and other auxiliary staff.
Besides, exceptional students with first class were also sought by their respective universities who wasted no time in sending them abroad to acquire the Golden Fleece and return afterwards to the universities to full-time teaching.
Mr. John Osuma, a 1975 graduate of Economics from the University of Ibadan, recalled with glee, how he secured a job with Barclays Bank, now Union Bank Plc, literally on a platter of gold. “Those days, it was so easy to secure a job of your choice, to the extent that graduates were left in a quandary as to which company to pitch their tent. In fact, it was what you could call an embarrassment of riches,’’ he reminisced.
But the rest, as they say, is history. Today, a primary school leaver hardly stands any chance in the labour market. The same goes for the army of university graduates, who despite boasting higher degrees can’t find their dream jobs, hence, have had to surrender to fate.
Lamenting the parlous state of the economy, Alhaji Saliu Bashua, a retiree from the Nigeria Ports Authority regrets that at 60, when he should be enjoying the fruits of his retirement, he has had the misfortune of fending for four grown up children who despite getting good education have not been able to secure employment in the last three years.
Reality of graduate unemployment
Although there are no empirical statistics to show the true state of graduate unemployment ratio in the country, unconfirmed report indicates that average families in Nigeria boast of at least three or more graduates that are either under-employed or not employed at all.
Osuma easily corroborates this. “My late uncle’s son, a graduate of Geography, left school almost 10 years ago. He tried without success to secure a white-collar job and had to resort to selling newspapers for two years. He only just secured a regular job last May as a store-keeper in one of the breweries in Lagos.”
Like Osuma’s nephew, many Nigerian graduates who are wearied by years of staying at home long after graduation have surrendered to whatever fate hands them.
It would be recalled that following the advertisement placed by Dangote Group of Companies for Graduate Executive Truck Drivers, of the 13,000 applications received, six were Ph.D holders, 704 Master degree holders and over 8,460 Bachelor degree holders; a development, many have argued is a pointer to the graduate unemployment crisis bedeviling the country.
The Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, who made the disclosure at a forum organised as part of youth mentoring by the World Bank, said most of the applicants are from reputable universities.
Despite the pecks attached to the job, concerned stakeholders believe that the country is on the precipice, considering the parlous state of the economy.
How Nigeria came to this sorry situation
The slide in job figures, according to analysts, deepened when the few industries operating in the country after Independence were mismanaged.
The early years of military rule as well as the profligacy of the Second Republic under President Shehu Shagari, led to the collapse of industries as government was defined by the number of import licences given out to importers.
Many indigenous manufacturing companies had to stop production because of the influx of foreign goods into the country. In the thick of military regimes, the harsh political environment and ill-conceived economic policies of successive governments led to massive capital flight. The Structural Adjustment Programme compounded the woes of manufacturers when the naira was devalued, with millions of youths thrown into the job market.
Infrastructural decay, multiple taxes, brigandage and chaotic political milieu led many multinational companies to fold up just as the perennial electricity crisis has caused crisis of unemployment in our country today.
Widespread epileptic power supply means that major companies have to spend huge sums of money generating their own energy for production and other operations.
Poor electricity supply has also had negative effects on small businesses. It is the reason why manufacturing companies could not produce to capacity; it is the reason why major companies had packed up and relocated to Ghana and other African countries in recent years. It is the reason why our youths continue to roam the streets.
The terrible situation in moribund textile industries across the country, analysts further argue, provides a sad example of how unemployment has deepened over the years. Textile companies used to be a major source of employment. For more than two decades, textile companies gradually shut down production because government promoted the importation of foreign fabrics. Hundreds of textile companies were forced to lay off workers when they could not compete with the influx of foreign fabrics. Millions of jobs were lost. Several attempts to reverse the policy have failed.
The nation’s financial institutions have shed more than 50, 000 jobs in the last five years, just as corruption and poor management have hit the sector so hard and resulted in uncertainty.
Fears over youth unemployment
For concerned Nigerians, there are fears that the current job crisis in the land if not tackled headlong has the potential to lead to full-blown crisis for the country.
One of those concerned about the sordid situation the nation has sunk to is former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to him, Nigeria will witness a revolution soon unless government takes urgent steps to check growing youth unemployment and poverty.
He spoke at the West African regional conference on youth employment in Dakar, Senegal penultimate Friday.
Obasanjo said the danger posed by an army of unemployed youth in Nigeria can only be imagined.
“I’m afraid, and you know I am a General. When a General says he is afraid, that means the danger ahead is real and potent,” he said.
Obasanjo added that despite what he called the imminent threat to Nigeria’s nationhood “there is absence of serious, concrete, realistic, short and long term solution” to youth unemployment.
He made reference to the doctorate degree holders who applied for jobs as drivers at the Dangote Group, saying Nigerian youths have been patient enough and that this patience will soon reach its elastic limit.
According to the former president, youth unemployment rate which was 72% in 1999 when he took over power had been reduced to 52% by 2004 but that the rate rocketed to 71% by 2011.
Obasanjo left office in 2007, succeeded by Umaru Yar’Adua who died in 2010, and President Goodluck Jonathan has been in office since then.
The former president lamented that the unemployment situation has given rise to the prevalence of social crimes being perpetrated by three categories of youth whom he identified as area boys, Yahoo boys and, recently, Blackberry boys.
He told the diverse audience that in Nigeria people talk of growth without corresponding development, and that what is visible is increased poverty
Obasanjo said national leaders must create incentives that will encourage entrepreneurs to flourish and that special attention should be given to agriculture business as against mere farming.
He reiterated the need for easy access to land and micro credit, while advocating for a review of school curriculum to enable undergraduates spend additional one year to learn entrepreneurship.
At the sub-regional level, Obasanjo called for a review of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) to accommodate issues of youth unemployment and job creation.
The conference, which was sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the African Development Bank (ADB), was attended by top bankers from across Africa including the Managing Director of Nigeria’s Bank of Industry, Ms. Evelyn Oputu.
Promises upon promises
In a monitored television magazine programme recently, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance, spoke reassuringly about plans by to create massive employment through agriculture.
“We are supporting agriculture holding because we believe this is where jobs will be created which is estimated by the Minister of Agriculture to be a total of 3.5 million jobs when we implement all these programmes. We are trying to diversify the economy, not just agriculture, such that we can create jobs,” said an elated Okonjo-Iweala.
But not a lot of people share her optimism.
In the view of Comrade Baba Omojola, a renowned economist and World Bank consultant, creating jobs goes beyond mere platitudes.
“It is as if the present policy of government does not support self-employment. There is no country that has developed without full employment. Take countries like USA, China, Brazil, Japan, etc.”
He goes further to say that the high rate of joblessness among Nigerian youth population is not a consequence of the global unemployment crisis but an offshoot of a mismanaged economy and wrong approach to employment creation initiatives.
“Unemployment problem in Nigeria precedes the current downturn. Low job statistics among Nigerian youths have been around since the inception of bad economic management. It has become endemic because the government has failed to create enabling environment for the private sector to generate job opportunities. One does not have to be an economist to know that the current situation is caused by incompetent leadership and corruption.”
Way forward
For Mr. Joshua Oderinde, past chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) Ikeja District, all hope is not lost.
“ I felt bad when I heard the report that some PhD holders went in search of job as truck drivers. We just have to rejuvenate the economy, especially as it concerns providing employment opportunities for the youths out there. I’m aware the Federal Government has developed some measures already yielding positive results as far as creating employment through its YouWin programme. What I will advise is that the states of the federation should also replicate it in their localities. This will go a long way in assisting with job creation efforts in the country in general. Then for the highly qualified people like those with PhDs can also benefit from this scheme,” he admonished.
Dr. Jonathan Aremu, a former Deputy Director, Research and Planning with the Central Bank of Nigeria, is not on the same page with Oderinde.
He would rather the government made drastic efforts aimed at addressing the worsening unemployment situation in the country instead of the cosmetic arrangement in place.
“The unemployment crisis bedeviling the country is serious cause for concern. I think the whole thing started the moment we abandoned agriculture with the advent of petroleum coupled with corruption and lack of sincerity of purpose on the part of successive administration.”
To address this challenge of unemployment, Aremu advised that there is need “To pump money into the real sector of the economy such as manufacturing. We have wide expanse of land uncultivated, we need to revamp agriculture. We need to sustain power supply, expand our infrastructural base. These are the things that will turn the tide for our economy ultimately.”
Echoing similar views, Professor Isaac Adeyemi, Vice Chancellor, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, said: “There is need for the educational sector to cooperate with the industrial sector in researches and in training. There must be target production of manpower and constant rubbing of minds.”
Worrisome as the job crisis looks, analysts are not convinced that government at all levels have what it takes to heal the festering sore.
