We need to have a very difficult conversation about the Nigerian youth. Under the banner of political correctness, we have sugar-coated this issue for too long and carefully avoided raising the red flags to dodge public backlash.
Males and females are mostly well-built, athletic, brimming with energy and creativity. Why would youngsters with such moving attributes derive pleasure in seeking shortcuts to success, fame and wealth? Why are terms like ‘hard work’, ‘rigour’, ‘loyalty’, ‘tenacity’ and ‘learning’ rapidly disappearing from youthful dictionaries? What is behind the excessive craze for stupendous wealth without proper education, skills, experience and effort? What happened to the values of contentment, fulfilment, perseverance, passion and inner peace?
Without coating it, 90% (possibly more) of Nigerian graduates are U.N.E.M.P.L.O.Y.A.B.L.E. If you sit through interview panels, you will weep for this country. The lack of self-preparation for any role is heart-wrenching. If employability is further measured by the ability to write flawlessly, critical thinking, rigorous research and data analysis, the percentage of employable graduates shrinks to three per cent. What is strange is that the 90% that are unemployable want the top jobs, fast-moving cars, shiny Instagram pages, holidays abroad, foreign citizenships and lots of money! And they want it overnight!
Result?
Yahoo-yahoo. Rituals. Robberies. Prostitution. “Sugar-daddying”. “Baby-mamaing”. I know of nobody that made sustainable wealth through these methods. What you see on social media is largely make-belief. Illusions. There are no greener pastures anywhere. You can make your grass as green as you want. It requires effort, industry, patience and tenacity.
I think the massive skill-deficit is responsible for the travel-abroad-quick fever spreading like wildfires across the country. Folks making money off gullible young people desperate to travel abroad really need to slow down. Living abroad is not easy. You’ll still work. Very hard. Several shifts day and night. Pay taxes religiously. And send some back home. Every day is a struggle. The same struggle you ran away from.
Success is not location-specific. I have said this many times. A good education, self-preparation, high skillset, perseverance, hard work and God’s grace are the ONLY ingredients for success. Connections may help, but the highly-skilled and the well-prepared can thrive without it. You must invest time (at least 10 years) honing and sharpening your skills. When you acquire topnotch skills, you become globally marketable and be sought after from all corners of the world. You’ll go wherever you want and return whenever you like. You become a global citizen and begin to live life on your own terms. You’ll have no need for social media goons soliciting to ‘help’, ‘coach’ or ‘teach’ you how to travel abroad.
You can start again. Rethink!
Ms Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Ikeja, Lagos State
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