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Tag: Nigerian graduates

  • Seven profitable side hustles Nigerian graduates can start with little or no capital

    Seven profitable side hustles Nigerian graduates can start with little or no capital

    With rising living costs and a highly competitive job market, many Nigerian graduates are exploring self-driven hustles to earn income and gain practical experience. From digital gigs to street-smart ventures, these opportunities—both online and offline—demand little or no startup capital and can be launched quickly with basic skills, a mobile device, and strong determination.

    Here are seven profitable side hustles that offer growth potential and long-term value:

    1. Freelance Writing and Content Creation

    With strong writing skills, graduates can craft articles, blog posts, and newsletters for digital publications and small businesses. Platforms like Upwork and LinkedIn allow users to pitch services and attract global clients.

    Beginners can gain visibility by guest posting on free blogs to build a portfolio. With time, higher rates and repeat clients follow.

    2. Virtual Assistance

    Entrepreneurs frequently outsource email management, appointment scheduling, data entry, and customer support. Remote tools like Google Workspace and Trello make task management simple.

    Reliable virtual assistants can charge hourly or weekly rates, with consistency often leading to long-term contracts.

    3. Social media management

    Graduates who understand cultural and market trends can manage social media accounts for SMEs. Tasks include content planning, graphic design with Canva, and engagement tracking.

    Managing one brand can lead to referrals, enabling you to build a client base without selling physical products.

    4. Online tutoring and coaching

    Teaching secondary school subjects, exam prep, or digital skills over Zoom or Google Meet is in high demand. Tutors can advertise on WhatsApp or student forums and charge ₦2,000–₦5,000 per hour.

    Offering group sessions and tracking student progress increases your reputation and income.

    5. Affiliate marketing and referrals

    By promoting products like mobile airtime, digital courses, or fashion items through affiliate links, users earn commissions on every sale. This model requires no inventory or logistics management.

    Read Also: 10 essential skills Nigerian graduates must possess to get hired in 2025

    Authentic and consistent promotion across social platforms can generate steady passive income.

    6. Micro-service gigs on platforms like Fiverr

    From logo tweaks to voiceovers and video editing, micro-tasks on Fiverr or similar sites offer quick, pay-per-task income. Choose services you can deliver in a day.

    Positive reviews raise your profile and allow you to charge higher rates over time.

    7. Community event coordination

    Graduates with strong organisational skills can help plan events for NGOs, religious groups, and local businesses. Tasks include venue booking, vendor coordination, and attendee registration.

    A coordination fee brings earnings while expanding your professional network and local reputation.

  • Nigerian graduates: Their biological, educational parents

    Nigerian graduates: Their biological, educational parents

    In the African tradition, a responsible child cares and supports his parents when he/she is able.  As a matter of fact, parents expect their well-to-do children to bear some of their responsibilities as both parties advance in age. Even the Bible underscores the import of ministering back to those who nurture us. In Galatians 6:6, Apostle Paul said: “Let him who is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things”.

    With the word “communicate” here meaning “giving back to”, that settles the matter.

    So, if the Bible commands it and African culture recommends it, then it is time for the alumni of universities in Nigeria to wake up to their obligation of giving back to their alma mater as it is done by their peers in world-class  universities like Harvard, Stanford and Yale among several others.

    This way, a lot of money will be generated by each university to make education more accessible, affordable and available with less dependence on government subventions, which many consider a drop in the ocean, as it is the trend in Nigeria.

    For example, John A. Paulson, an alumnus of Harvard University, gave US$400 million endowment to his alma mater’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. John Arrillaga, an alumnus of Stanford University equally gave US$251 million to his institution; while Edward P. Bass, a former undergraduate of Yale University recently gave US$60 million to renovate and build science facilities, bringing his total lifetime giving to US$200 million.

    The above was the position of the Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) at this year’s edition of the yearly lecture of the Faculty of Education of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.  Babalola, who was the guest speaker, was also conferred with the faculty’s ‘Award for Excellence’ for what the organisers described as his ‘exemplary contributions to Nigerian education”.

    To further consolidate on his claim, Babalola said: “An alumnus of a university is the child of that university that trained and produced him/her. In reality, every alumnus has two pairs of parents: the biological and the university that trained him/her. There is no doubt that this great university has produced great scholars, industrialists, military bigwigs as well as seasoned administrators. One, therefore, expects an alumnus to recognise and treat the university the same way he/she treats the biological father. ‘’

    Babalola recalled how the institution, which was formerly University of Ife, before it was rechristened, following the death of the first premier of Western Region Chief Obafemi Awolowo in May 1997,  had graduated 136,270 students between 1964 and 2015. He noted that if only 75 per cent of these former students could support their alma mater with only N10,000 every year, OAU will would have been N1,022,020,000 richer today.

    Babalola urged that the  yearly distinguished lecture should henceforth be a platform to remind the alumni of the noble role of ploughing back to the institution some of their God-given resources. Babalola therefore challenged all former graduates of taking the university to greater heights by donating handsomely to the OAU Alumni Association.

    To him, it should not be difficult for members who are gainfully employed, including those in business and politics, to donate 10 per cent of their income to alumni association endowment fund.

    Babalola who spoke on the topic “The difficult march towards educational security in Nigeria: Law, policy and governance imperatives,” fears that Nigeria’s crave for affordable education may remain a mirage unless its Constitution recognises the basic right of its citizens to education as a justifiable and enforceable right.

    The frontline educationist frowned at the scenario whereby the 1999 Constitution foisted on Nigerians by the Military put education under Chapter II of the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

    This chapter provides as follows: “The Government shall strive to eradicate illiteracy; and to this end Government shall, as and when practicable, provide (a) free, compulsory and universal primary education; (b) free secondary education; (c) free university education; and (d) free adult literacy programme”.

    As good and robust as the above provisions are, Section 6(6) (c), of the same constitution however provides that: ‘The Judiciary shall have no powers to decide on any issue or question as to whether any act of omission by any authority or person is in conformity with the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.’

    Consciously or unconsciously therefore, this provision makes it impossible for citizens to sue the government for failing to provide free or quality education. In essence, like a Greek gift, the constitution in one breath contains wishful aspirations or dreams about education, and in another breath takes it away from the citizens.

    Babalola, therefore, stressed the urgency to repeal these provisions which he described as ‘archaic’, including Chapter IV of the Constitution where the right to education is sadly cosmetic, being a chapter that cannot be enforced in any court of law in Nigeria,  as it fails to recognise education as an important and enforceable fundamental human right in Nigeria.

    His words: “While other serious countries have guaranteed the right to education through enforceable legal instruments that empower citizens to hold the political class accountable for failing to finance education, Nigerians are left to depend on the goodwill of the ruling class or pursue incessant strike actions, due to the failure of the political class to protect, defend and fulfill the fundamental human rights to education”.

    He added: “Not only have governments failed to finance and equip our education systems to be qualitative, competitive and functional, they have also failed to address barriers such as endemic poverty and conflicts that militate against access to quality education.’’

    Nonetheless, Babalola is optimistic!  He believes hope is not yet lost if all stakeholders in the education sector appreciate that they have pivotal, sacred and indispensable roles to play in contributing their voices, ideas and opinions to debates on how qualitative education can be more accessible, available and affordable in Nigeria.

    “The government’s inertia or failure is not the greatest loss; the greatest loss is when educated minds fail to inspire the next generation”. But with the caste of committed academic giants the country can boast of today, Nigeria has all it takes to inspire the next generation to greatness,” the legal luminary added.

     

    • Olofintula is Head of Corporate Communication, Afe Babalola University(ABUAD), Ado Ekiti
  • Why Nigerian graduates are unemployable

    Why Nigerian graduates are unemployable

    A number of factors could be responsible for the inability of Nigerian graduates to secure gainful employment or even maintain steady jobs, Fara Fasuyi, a management consultant has said.

    According to Miss Fasuyi who heads the School of Enterprise at the prestigious Ibadan Business School, Ibadan, Oyo State, chief among the factors to blame for the growing youths unemployment is the lack of appropriate skills set on the part of the applicants as well as poor work ethics.

    Besides, she said the poor curriculum in most varsities is such that is completely out of tune with the requirements of modern times, thus majority of Nigerian graduates can’t compete with their peers anywhere in the world.

    “It is quite disconcerting to note that majority of our universities are out of tune with what’s happening in the rest of the world. You can imagine that some of the courses which were taught some five decades ago are still being taught with little or no innovation. Are we saying there have been no new changes in those fields? You can’t rely on jaded ideas to survive in the 21st century,” she said.

    To buttress her point, the Economics graduate from Covenant University readily cites the current World University Rankings in which the only Nigerian university, University of Ibadan appeared in the 800+position, a situation, she says is rather disheartening.

    The 25-year-old Ilesha-born young lady who has two masters degree from the University of Dundee as well as the University of Bradford, School of Management, amongst other qualifications, holds the view and very strongly too that there are jobs out there but only a few applicants have the potentials to capture such jobs.

    “Contrary to the belief out there I can say with every sense of responsibility that there are a handful of jobs out there whether in the area of enterprise development or white-collar jobs. The missing links however is that not many graduates can meet the set criteria for such jobs.”

    Thankfully, she says the Ibadan Business School, has fashioned out a programme aimed building entrepreneurs.

    “As part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative the School of Enterprise is offering empowerment courses for over 200 graduates absolutely free. It is our own little contribution to the society. Our cardinal aims and objectives at the School of Enterprise is to start, grow and make businesses thrive. That’s our calling.”

  • Nigerian graduates compete favourably, says UNILORIN VC

    Inspite of the dearth of infrastructure in Nigerian universities, products of Nigerian universities are globally competitive, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Abdulganiyu Ambali has said.

    Ambali added that the perceived falling standard of education in the country has no effect on annual rating of Nigerian universities in the world.

    He said that reports from various employers of labour in and outside the country indicated that Nigerian graduates are performing to the admiration of their employers.

    Speaking with reporters in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the professor of veterinary medicine recalled that UNILORIN was  ranked first among Nigerian universities in Africa in previous years.

    The university was recently ranked 41st in Africa with the University of Lagos in 29th position in Africa.

    Ambali, who said that annual world ranking of universities was about every university keying into best practices in the world, added that certain variables were used to arrive at the rating.

    They include: age of the university, assets, level of endowment and laureate attracted to the university, Information Communication Technology (ICT) capacity, how much money the university could attract through research works, and presence of the Web and number of activities on campus.

    “It is all about beefing up those areas by universities,” he said.

    Speaking on the high rate of expulsion of students in the university, Ambali said the university authority always felt sad whenever it resorted to student expulsion.

    He added that the number of expelled students was negligible compared to the total number of students in the university.

    Ambali said: “We feel sad to resort to expulsion; but we are established to produce graduates worthy in moral, character, and academic ability that will, in turn, be models in the society.  So, if we found out these to be absent in any of them, we find no other option than to show such person the way out. And the number is small to the number of students we have.

    “We have to monitor every student. So, if we find one to be a threat to others, we ask such person to go. We have zero tolerance to non-compliance with agreed dress code, cultism or exam malpractice. Penalty varies as it is not actually expulsion for the dress code offence. We usually put parents of offenders into the picture and we restrict details to only parents of offenders. That’s why we don’t ever publicise reasons for expulsion and also for security reasons.”

  • Panacea to Nigerian graduates’ global irrelevance

    SIR: Robert Kiyosaki in his book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” asked the question, “Does school prepare children for the real world?” “Study hard and get good grades and you will find a high-paying job with great benefits”, parents used to say. But gone are those days!

    There has been a paradigm shift from focus on paper qualification to skills acquisition in the last couple of decades. But rather unfortunately, Nigeria and other African nations are waking up to these realities rather too late. It is absolute disillusionment for a twenty first century student to have a mind-set that a first class degree is sufficient to land him that plum job when he knows next to nothing about how real corporations are run. It is a saddening reality that prompts me to address this anomaly as leaving the status quo spells doom for the Nigerian future.

    The University of Lagos only recently had its convocation ceremony where over six thousand graduates received degrees in different categories. Every year, our ivory towers of higher learning churn out tens of thousands of graduates into the labour market which is already heavily saturated. It is no news that job availability is a mirage but even if there were more jobs than job seekers, the quality of these job applicants leaves more to be desired, constituting one of the main challenges of employers.

    So much noise has been made to have our educational policies reviewed. The ministry of education has been incessantly called upon to embark on a comprehensive overhaul of our curricula and make them relevant to the real world of work. Our students in higher institutions cannot see the gap between what our lecturers teach and what prospective employers would require from them. Hence, they just sit tight with books of the 1950s and ‘60s with no bearing on post-recession economy. The quality of academic staff in these ivory towers is another conglomerate of disturbing issues. It is a pathetic situation!

    So much as I concur that the bulk of the restructuring lies on the government, we cannot sit back and wait for a government. The private sector has got to come to the rescue because standing aloof would only be to the detriment of their future business concerns. Many thanks to corporations and organizations which have invested relentlessly to salvage the menace of skill gap existing in our graduate set. It is high time we shifted to a sixty-per cent-practical, forty-percent-theory system of teaching. This would avail our students in higher institutions the exposure to application of learnt theories to real life situations. It is my belief that the present administration is aware of the defects in the educational system more than any before and should be better poised to living up to its responsibility. And this responsibility involves the upgrading of the theory-focussed system to one with a healthy balance between theory and practical applications.

    •Joshua Oyeniyi

    Lagos

  • BUK VC: Nigerian graduates lack skills to succeed

    Graduates of Nigerian universities are not equipped to succeed in the world today, the Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK), Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, has said.

    The ex-Managing Director of the New Nigerian newspapers spoke yesterday in Ilorin at a public lecture organised by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), University of Ilorin chapter.

    The lecture is entitled: ‘Challenges facing youths reaching their zenith in the 21st Century.’

    He said: “Nigerian universities are just churning out graduates without the necessary skills to succeed in the harsh reality of the knowledge-driven world of today.

    “This situation cannot be allowed to continue if Nigeria is to remain relevant. As students, you have an important role to play in remoulding our universities and nation.

    “You have shown by your action today that there is hope for this country. There is hope because students today show that they can recognise good role models to emulate them and hopefully succeed.

    “Let me remind you that we are in an era where knowledge seems to be the overriding issue. Without knowledge, no society will progress. The 21st century is the one of knowledge, particularly scientific knowledge. Two areas are significant; the digital revolution and the genetics.”

    The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof. Abbdullganiyu Ambali, listed the high cost of living, poor public services, corruption in the larger society, depletion of the ranks of the role models, youth unemployment and socio-political dislocations and their aftermath in crime and criminal behaviour as some of the challenges facing the nation.

    He said: “The message I have is simple for our students: keep hope alive. With students like you burning with ideas, Nigeria will be better and the future is bright.

    “Dear students, despite my optimism that the future is bright, if you keep hope alive, I must let you know that you are the greatest challenge to reaching your zenith in the 21st century.

    “The 21st century is meant for continuous learning. You have to learn, re-learn and unlearn on a continuous basis to unlock the potential of this age and overcome its challenges.”

  • Nigerian graduates unemployable— ITF boss

    The high rate of unemployed graduates in the country is due to a number of factors, chief among which is the lack vocational training as well as establishment of skill acquisition schemes to complement the few jobs that are available, Prof. Longmas Sambo Wapmuk, Director General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), has said.

    The ITF boss who spoke exclusively with The Nation in Abuja recently expressed dismay that the job crisis in the country may have been compounded because many companies are either closing shops or relocating their businesses outside the shores of this country.

    “With the increase in the number of tertiary institutions and interest of Nigerians to acquire higher education certificates, thousands are graduated every year. Unfortunately, job placement for the great number of graduates is becoming increasingly difficult with the downturn of the nation’s economy which is causing many companies to go moribund. Besides, the harsh economic condition and insecurity is also making some foreign countries to pull out.”

    To get around this challenge, the don stressed the need for skills acquisition in addition to academic training, which in his opinion will stand the prospective graduate in good stead.

    Besides, he said the Federal Government, as part of efforts to address this challenge, has established some agencies with a mandate to provide jobs and skills set for those who may not readily succeed in the job search.

    He said: “You see, the creation of several government parastatals, agencies and programmes whose primary objectives are to assist acquisition of employable skills and create employment opportunities are evidences of this concern. The Nigerian government adopted entrepreneurship development schemes such as Small and Medium Enterprise Equity Investment Scheme (SMEEIS) set up by 12 commercial banks, Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFFRI), the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). You also have Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). TVET is expected to prepare the youth for gainful employment and entrepreneurial development.”