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Gaya

Welcome to Nigeria, the land of unrewarded hustle and bustle. The average Nigerian child grew up hearing “not enough” and became determined to turn the tables from lack to abundance. So, they motivated themselves to top their classes in primary school with the goal of one day becoming a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer. They went on to senior secondary school, where they had to make the choice between science and arts. And this was the last time they felt sure about their future.

JAMB came and handed out admissions that were not sought after because not everybody could be a doctor, an engineer, or a lawyer. Now, four years have gone by, millions of naira have been invested in education, the compulsory service has been rendered to Mother Nigeria… and there is still no room to earn a livelihood.

Nigeria has made education, which was supposed to be an escape from poverty, a trap in itself. Going to school is no longer enough because there is hardly any room to prove your worth afterwards.

Many young graduates are stuck because entry-level jobs now demand two to three years of experience that could not have been garnered while they were fighting for their lives in Nigerian universities. Unless you have long legs (connections in high places), employers on LinkedIn are looking for experts to help upscale their startups at minimal cost. If they consider you at all, it almost feels like it is out of pity, as they are willing to milk your free services in the name of an internship.

If we are not careful, fresh graduates are being turned into serial volunteers, and then we ask why Gen Z youths are frustrated. This was not the plan. We intended to break cycles and improve the quality of our lives and those of our families in our twenties. Yes, we have the rest of our lives ahead of us… but can we at least inhale the fresh air of achievement that we have worked so hard for?

This is why some go ahead and conclude that “School na scam". Because education is no longer a guarantee of a stable source of income. And peradventure, we wanted to turn to startups; unfortunately, we were not all handed generational wealth. So we have to still make money to be able to invest in business ventures that create more money.

Nigerian youths are hopping from one freelance gig to another simply because they are more flexible and do not always require lofty expertise and experience...while also paying the bills.

To the older generations, we are unable to keep one job because we want to make quick money. But to us—you and I—we know we do not have a choice. We need to enrich our portfolios with the hope that someday, sooner rather than later, we will either japa or bump into a ‘big man’ who will offer us the life-changing opportunity to work with little to no experience.

Until then, this is Nigeria. The land that forces dreamers to sleep.

You spent four years in school, one year doing NYSC, and now every entry-level job is demanding two to three years of experience. Nigeria, what is this?


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