some time ago I sent this article in as my piece for a competition unfortunately I didn't win. I thought to share it with the world from this platform.
A very ubiquitous American aphorism coined by one time American president John. F. Kennedy says “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”. This premise though American is quite plausible when related to the situation of the “Nigerian unemployable graduate”. According to the bureau of statistics, the unemployment rate in Nigeria in the year 2010 was 21.1%, in 2011 it was 23.9%, in 2012 it was 28.9, and in 2013 it progressed to 32.7%.
The evidence of the critical situation of unemployment in the country was best portrayed by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercise where approximately one million job seekers applied for positions available to only a few hundred.
The enormous number of unemployed graduates in the country is disturbing but what is even more perturbing is the number of graduates that are adjudged to be unemployable or rather unknowledgeable. The derelict nature of the Nigerian education system without gain-say is very much responsible for this problem. In a situation where these so called unemployable graduates have being written off as consequences of several failed government administrations what remedy then should be given to ensure that there a place in the scheme of things in society for this social group who have been adjudged unfit for the Nigerian labor market?
Every malady has a cure, every problem has a solution. A graduate who has been deemed unemployable by the powers that be of an organization should not use that as an avenue to start a pity-party rather he/she should see that as a challenge. John Milton in his book, Paradise Lost says “the mind is its own place , and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven” what this implies is that every individual has the capacity to broaden his/her minds horizons by reading books related to his/her discipline. Reading books besides those assigned in the school curriculum go a long way in making an individual achieve the feat of being very knowledgeable. This can be done by inculcating a good reading culture. Unfortunately, the reading culture is almost none existent in the domain of the youths of the Nigerian society
The importance of entrepreneurship is one that cannot be over emphasized. There is no short cut to achieving success either in the public or private sectors. Unemployed graduates need to get irrational illusions of some day working in oil industries and come to terms with actualities. Money spent trying to keep up with the ever changing trends in technology, the social media, or the fashion industry should be invested in more remunerative endeavors or better yet investing in learning vocational or survival skills that will enable them become job creators instead of job seekers and in the long run bring them out of the throes of poverty and want.
To encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country, incentives should be created that would encourage and motivate graduates who have taken the brave decision to start up their very own enterprises. Low interest loans should be given to such individuals or better yet basic materials that their businesses will require to take-off smoothly. Again, free symposiums and capacity development services such as leadership and entrepreneurship seminars hosted by well established individuals or business organizations should be carried in form of corporate social responsibility to encourage such graduates who are desirous to become or who are young entrepreneurs.
The media should produce programs that portray the merits of graduate entrepreneurship. This move will trigger the interests of other unemployed graduates in the country and in the long run will lead to an influx of more self employed graduates.
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