Ibraheem Fiyinfoluwa
In Nigeria, one of the major dreams of young adults is to study, get a job and then succeed in their chosen career choices. This is what some refer to as a personal dream. However, over the years, a foundational component of this dream, which is getting a good job, has been dwindling or even more difficult to achieve.
The staggering statistics
According to a recent survey 58% percent of Nigerian graduates are unemployed. Nigeria Bureau of statistics also shows there has been a continuous increase in unemployment rate especially among fresh graduates. Many youths are unemployed and those who are employed are underemployed in jobs totally unrelated to their field of study or in jobs that do not even require their educational certificate.
Concerns of Nigerian under-graduates
The above situation does not only pose a concern to fresh graduates who are in search of a job with an actual, living income but also for those who are still in the Universities. The state of employment situation has prompted many to seek other means of financial success, barring the educational route. Some have even diverted to unpopular and criminal means of money-making, with a major example being internet fraud, known as “Yahoo.”
Those who have stuck to the educational path are now being plagued by the possible results after school life. With statements like “they are no jobs anywhere,” destroying their confidence in having a comfortable and well-to-do life.
The NBS (National Bureau of Statistics) in Q3 2023 pegged the unemployment rate at 5.0%, the underemployment rate at 12.3%, and youth unemployment at 8.6%. This statistic can be a bit difficult to interpret due to the technicalities and complexities of the definitions. But a common conclusion is that, unemployment rate will continue to be on the increase, the search for ‘’white collar job’ should not be any fresh graduate’s priority.
University of Ibadan (UI)students’ strategic approach
Some students at the University of Ibadan, however, do not need to know the statistics of unemployment and underemployment to know what the future holds and what to do. They understand current data positions are not friendly and are already engaging in a strategic approach of developing marketable skills or means of self-survival after their graduation.
Awoko Emmanuel, or Emry, as he is popularly known, is a 300-level student in the Department of English at the University. Emmanuel loves storytelling, writing and reading and he is daily developing these skills. Emmanuel, like most young people at the university, is worried about getting a good job with his prospective degree in English.
Emmanuel Awoko, a U.I. student (Pc: Fiyinfoluwa Ibraheem)
“It is very certain that there are no jobs out there, and with the degree I am pursuing, there are no guarantees of employment. It is sad, but I just have to play my own part and wait for God to intervene,” he said. He is often reminded of this realization when he sees some of his colleagues who are graduates and also jobless. “Some are underpaid regardless of their academic prowess or grades. I have seen quite a number of such cases while growing up too.”
Emmanuel admits that he is sometimes overwhelmed by this realization and that it does affect his psychological well-being, but he often turns to his faith in God when this happens. “I imagine the future, and oftentimes, when I get overwhelmed, I keep doing whatever I find myself doing. The only consolation for me is my faith.”
Given the above, Emmanuel is strategically building his skills and using these to etch a niche within journalism and media space, where he believes he can perform well and give himself a good career.
Like Emmanuel, Iwalola, another student, has also started working on building a career in web design. “I have been working on building a reputable career in web design. Thankfully, there are endless resources on the net to help with this. While school does not have a very promising future in sight, the web space provides hope of a good future,” she said.
Iwalola Atitebi, a U.I. student (Pc: fiyinfolowa Ibraheem)
Atitebi Iwalola loves engaging with any form of art, such as music, movies, and books. She also loves writing. Iwalola is a 300-level student in the Department of Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan. Like most students of her age, she is worried sick knowing the chances of getting a good job are slim
But like these two people have identified, a probable solution or source of hope might be to start investing in other career choices. This is particularly true of most Nigerian youths, as many have diversified into other possible means of getting to do something meaningful in the future. The acquisition of technological skills is on the rise, as is the acquisition of handiwork, and the internet has proven itself to be a quite helpful resource for learning.
The challenge has pushed these students to begin to try their hands on all that is possible with the hope for the very best. This is the best they can do for themselves.
#fFyinfolowa Ibraheem, a campus journalist and 2024 campus Journalism fellow of Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals sent this story from University of Ibadan, Oyo State
