Unemployment

By Uzair Adam Imam

Jobseekers in Nigeria have opened up to The Daily Reality on how some institutions in the country are degenerating into a kind of ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’, where officials allegedly request ‘sodomy’ in exchange for a job offer or promotion.

The job seekers decried how they suffer in the hands of corrupt officials who ask for a bribe in exchange for job offers or, worse, sex from female and even male job seekers.

However, they alleged that most of these ‘gay’ officials are important office holders that nobody would ever think will indulge in such heinous acts as they look and act responsibly in public.

The job seekers decided to narrate their harrowing experiences after we reported on buying and selling of job offers in Nigeria, published on March 2, 2022, which went viral.

The Daily Reality reported how the sale of job offers decimates graduates’ chances of securing jobs in Nigeria, where the national economy has remained increasingly stagnant.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, unemployment in Nigeria has surged to the second-highest on the global list, jumping to 33.3%.

Professionals have argued that there is a need for urgent intervention to save the country from an impending danger posed by the exponential increase in unemployment.

Register with the Gay Zone Pyramid; Get Employed

Isma’il Muhammad (not real name) recounted how one Managing Director of an organisation in Kaduna wanted to sodomise him and his friend for a job offer in November last year.

He said, “In November 2021, we got a connection to meet the Managing Director (MD) of one big organisation in Kaduna State. When we arrived, we were introduced to the man in his office.

“The man promised to get us employed. He said we look very young and charming. So we were very excited to hear that from him, unknown to us that the man was gay. So he brought out job offers. But he requested we had to offer him something in return.

“We were all surprised. We thought this man meant we had to buy the offer or, at least, pay him a certain amount of money. But, to our utmost dismay, this man said we had to register with the GAY ZONE PYRAMID.

“However, we declined, and that was the end. We left his office mouth agape and without being employed,” Muhammad said in dismay.

Another job-seeker, who swore to God that he would rather die hawking than commit such evil, confided his 2020 experience in our reporter.

He said someone who pretended to care about his condition and wanted to find a better place for him sent him to a particular organisation for an interview in Kano.

He said, “Fortunately, I have all the requirements. While I thought I would be automatically employed, the man invited me to his office and confessed that he was “gay”.

“Angrily, I insulted him. I still regret knowing him. Thus, I forgot about the job.

Another source, Hashim Tijjani, said someone who promised to employ him and send him overseas had wanted to sodomise him, but God saved him from the man.

He said the man often bitterly complained that he did not use to call him as a way of showing concern to a boyfriend, the development that the guy said had confused him.

He added, “The man used to invite me to the Mai Rabo Hotel in Sabon Gari, Kano. He used to give me money to lure me. He once accused me of not being that romantic to him.

“As things escalated and I feared I might fall into his trap, I decided to give my phone to one of my friends, who told him I passed on. Since then, he stopped calling my line,” he added.

Workers seeking promotion in the same trap

According to a source familiar with the incident, the sodomy was not only limited to job-seeking. Workers seeking promotion also suffer a lot.

He said bosses nowadays ask their subordinates for sodomy before they promote them in various workplaces across the country.

He said, “My friend working with a Nigerian security agency confided in me that he failed to get promoted for declining his boss’s request for sodomy.”

He stated that his friend is still yet to be promoted. However, he had decided that he should rather die without promotion than compromise.

I declined my aged-nurse political ambition over sodomy – politician

Also, a renowned politician in Kano disclosed how he threw his aged-long political ambition over sodomy.

The politician who preferred anonymity revealed that he wanted to contest for a certain political position during the 2015 General Election after he retired from his civil service but was forced out after his political godfather solicited for sodomy in exchange for the ambition.

He confided that he was pretty perplexed and could not help but quit the race as things went beyond his imagination.

He said, “I nursed this ambition over the years, but I can’t help but withdraw from the race as my political godfather confessed that he is gay. But I see no reason to ruin my image for a so-called worldly political ambition.”

The man said he had met all the requirements and was economically stable to contest, but he would instead give up and concentrate on a business.

According to a source, who claimed that he was requested for sodomy to get a job back in 2020 in Kano, the issue of gay officials terrorising workplaces and institutions is known to many people, but they are only afraid to speak.

He stated, “You know things like this are known to many we are all pretending as if nothing goes on. Our bureaucratic system is utterly flawed.

“So, I am no longer looking for any job or favour from anybody anywhere. That is why I confidently expose the bad elements.”

‘Sodomy leads to mental disorder’

A psychiatric doctor from Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Dr Mubarak Haruna Idris, raised concerns that the act of sodomy may lead to mental illness.

In an exclusive interview with our reporter, Idris said that people who prefer the same sex might suffer from anxiety, depression and psychosis.

He stated that the behaviour “leads to other mental illness. For example, usually, these kinds of individuals tend to hide it [what they do] from others that they have a preference for their same sex.

“So, they tend to have this kind of fear and whenever it revealed. The kind of difficulty they get from their family and how people see them will make them get a mental illness like anxiety, depression and if care is not taken, psychosis.”

They are at risk of anal cancer, HIV other sexually transmitted diseases

Dr Idris also cautioned that the behaviour is associated with many health risks such as anal cancer and HIV, among other sexually transmitted infections.

Idris said, “This behaviour is associated with some health risks. One of the commonest is the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, hepatitis, syphilis, gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, the risk of getting such diseases is higher when compared to normal vaginal sex.

“So, therefore, there is a high risk of sexually transmitted diseases. And this is due to the nature of the anal canal, which is not designed for such activity, and it can’t resist such activity that usually takes place during intercourse.

‘And then another thing is that there is a risk of getting an injury to the anal area. And when there’s injury, an infection can quickly set in, so one can end up having an infection at the anus, which, if care is not taken, can even spread to other parts of the body. There is also a high risk of anal cancer.

University don frown at the act

In an exclusive interview with our reporter, a lecturer at the Department of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, Bayero University, Kano, Dr Mu’az Hassan Mu’az, lamented the development.

Mu’az, who frowned at the revelation, lamented that the demand for carnal knowledge to give a job offer is a serious problem that needs to be eliminated.

He also decried how the Nigerian polity is experiencing a painful decline in most of its economic activities, which may not be far from poor governance in recent years. 

“It’s unfortunate that the unemployment rate is skyrocketing in Nigeria like never before.

“Many youth graduate year-in-year-out, but without jobs to lean on. Thus the labour market has become so competitive, where only the connected get jobs.

“It’s this trend that ushered us into the era of job offer sales and other unscrupulous demands for carnal knowledge of both genders for job offers and promotion in the workplace.

The issue is alarming

Dr Mu’az also stated that if the trend continues unchecked, it could lead to numerous problems. He stated thus:

 “1. employment of people with mismatched qualifications for the job requirement. By extension, it will affect productivity.

“2. It will also lead to unprofessional development of the crop of future leaders in organisations. You may realise that those employees who are sidelined because they don’t comply with the demands of their superiors may rise to the ranks without the experience and expertise of leadership.

“3. It creates a corrupt society. As people get employed through the window, they’ll continue the gospel of corruption in their job undertakings.

“4. It will create an unserious atmosphere for students right from the university because nobody would bother to study for good grades since the jobs are for sale and not good qualifications.

“5. People’s sexual orientation might be affected due to the incessant demands for carnal knowledge of young men and women. This situation exposes people to diseases that can cause death.

“There are many adverse effects of sales of job offers and sexual demands for promotion in the workplace.

Way out

Dr Mu’azu proffers the following solutions:

“1. Job opportunities should be advertised in the dailies and electronic media;

“2. There should be equitable salaries in the country depending on the level of education of workers. This will discourage people from struggling to get white-collar jobs.

“3. A law should be enacted to address culprits, i.e. the person paying and the one receiving the money for job offers.

By Usman Ibrahim

For a long time, Kano State has battled the enormous increase in drug abuse and trafficking of illicit drugs. Most commonly, many people directly or indirectly abuse drugs. In the past, only male youths aged 18 years and above were the major players in the business. But these days, it is more heart-aching that underage boys and girls, including married women, are into drug abuse, and it is increasing by the day and assuming top spots on the statistics.

People often see drug abusers as jobless who consume the drugs to forget their problems of unemployment and poverty. The precarious situation makes them steal from their families, friends, and even their communities.

Drug addicts are particularly vulnerable to politicians who utilize them to cause havoc during elections and protect them from the wrath of the law after their arrest. When they don’t get the opportunity to become the “boys” of the politicians, they resort to their communities and continue to cement their legacies as the greatest criminals of their time.

In addition, they sometimes make it uncomfortable for people in their communities to commute to some streets. Unfortunately, though, others see drug abuse as something one chooses to do due to peer group influence. Unfortunately, even teens living in stable and affluent homes are also into this drug addiction – many rich teens are into drug abuse despite all the care their parents have shown them.

Badawa in Kano State is one of the communities notorious for drug abuse. It is an intensely multi-ethnic setting harbouring diverse ethnicities but deeply troubled by illicit drug sales and consumption for over a decade. In an interview with a teenager into selling these intoxicants, he admitted that he couldn’t stop selling illegal drugs because he earns a lot from it, and many people from distant places come and buy from him at expensive rates. I also asked him whether he was aware of the anti-drugs agency or the vigilante groups who would arrest him, and he said he was aware. Still, he cannot stop because it is the only way to source his income.

But a philanthropist defies all odds to change existing narratives in the community. Seeing the height of the problem has made the anonymous Good Samaritan solve the menace. With his own money, he purchased three cars, walkie-talkies and uniforms to help arrest hard drug dealers and employed some men in the community’s vigilante group to assist in the fight.

According to Badar, one of the vigilante members, “At least we have arrested more than ten drug dealers in which some of them are in prison”. However, he also states that their work involves too much risk because some drug dealers walk along with knives, sharp horns and machetes, among other dangerous local weapons. So they are always cautious in handling their operations. And they work hand in hand with NDLEA to give them more information about the community.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) significant role is exterminating illicit drug trafficking and consumption in Nigeria. And also, it is for the sake of protecting the country from the dangers of hard drugs. Since the agency’s establishment in 1989, the war against hard drugs has been increasing yearly. The agency tries its best to tackle drug trafficking and importation of hard drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, cough syrups and other hard substances. However, the activities of philanthropists cannot be underscored because of the rapid increase in violence, especially during elections and among drug addicts in communities.

Therefore, combating drug abuse as well as securing the lives and properties of Nigerians needs collaborative efforts between security agencies, community leaders as well as philanthropists. If there is a time when these collaborations are desperately needed, it is now.

Usman Ibrahim is a level 200 student from the Department of Information and Media Studies, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via usmannibrahim66@gmail.com.

By Kasim Isa Muhammad

Education is the bedrock of development. Suppose the education system in the country can be revised to emphasize the practical aspect of education, particularly entrepreneurship. In that case, there is a great tendency that youths will be self-reliant and employers of labour. This is because they must have developed knowledge in technology and had productive knowledge for the future.

Education can be the key to success if the government, at all levels, can create a technical support platform for undergraduates to learn how to transform their knowledge into something useful for the nation.

Also, education can be considered a key to success when the students acquire good knowledge from qualified teachers and trainers. Therefore, the government needs to look for quality teachers, put them at the forefront, pay them good salaries, and equip the educational buildings with modern materials. If the students go through such a way of acquiring knowledge, education can be described as the key to success.

There is no doubt that education is the key to the problem in every human society, but, unfortunately, in Nigeria, the case is entirely different, where graduates roam the streets looking for jobs. However, in developed countries, students are taught to invest in entrepreneurship.

Recent statistics establish that 25 million graduates are unemployed, indicating that the government cannot employ the high population of graduates. Thus, there is a need for government to think and rethink providing job opportunities for our teeming youths.

Nonetheless, the government is doing its best to reduce unemployment with many programs initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The N-power is a good example. The program was solely established to reduce unemployment, but unfortunately, many Nigerians are misusing the money that will help them invest in entrepreneurship.

Yes, education is still a key to success when some skills are acquired. However, many of our graduates do not know that skill is sometimes more important than a certificate. Obviously, in the real world, people need to see what you can give, not what you have.

We all need to wake up from our deep slumber because the government cannot do it alone. We need to use the skills we acquired to help find lasting solutions to problems bedevilling the country.

Kasim Isa Muhammad wrote from Potiskum, Yobe state.

By Ibrahim Tukur

Communication barrier is one of the major problems holding many deaf people back. Living in an inclusive world—a world that comprises people with differences, one has to know the others better to get along together. We can only achieve that through communication. Unfortunately, however, many people have immensely misunderstood due to the communication barrier. Some see people with hearing impairment as stupid, insane, mad, etcetera.

Communication barrier has brought various challenges that not exclusively affect the personal achievement of the deaf but also their educational, spiritual and economic development.

Due to this barrier, many deaf experience loneliness, depression and isolation at home because they have no one to communicate with as most of the family members don’t know how to communicate with them. In the same vein, their parents often neglect them and find it challenging to communicate with them in their day-to-day interactions and operations. Thus, this makes many deaf children, if not all, grow up morally deficient.

In many tertiary institutions, deaf students face many academic challenges that interfere with their studies. Although all tertiary institutions are inclusive, they are not offering special services like Sign Language interpreters. Consequently, those students often sit in the class watching their lecturers lecturing verbally and their coursemates with no hearing loss drinking from their knowledge flow.

Deaf people face immense challenges when it comes to employment. Many organisations and companies find it difficult to employ deaf people due to this barrier, as good communication is one of the essential requirements in entrepreneurship. This is why many deaf people have automatically been disqualified during job interviews despite meeting all the requirements.

Again, because of this barrier, deaf people are denied from getting jobs as doctors, engineers, journalists, lecturers, lawyers, accountants, etcetera. Many deaf who have studied others fields are forced to become classroom teachers as if teaching is the only profession for the deaf.

Although the current administration has enacted a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disability, thanks to their bid for inclusion, they failed to trench the underlying causes of the discrimination. 

To nip the deaf-based discrimination in the bud, Sign Language should be introduced as a core curriculum in all schools since the communication barrier is its underlying cause.

Sign Language specialists should be employed in all schools and tertiary institutions to teach Sign Language so that everybody will learn to communicate with the deaf and get to know them better.

Teaching Sign Language in schools nationwide will improve this communication gap and end the disparagement, discrimination, and stigmatisation they experience. It will equally create a comfortable environment for the deaf folks to live in this Inclusive world.

Ibrahim Tukur is a 400 level student of Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via inventorngw@gmail.com.

By Aminu Mohammed

In the last few weeks, I have keenly observed discussions about bestie, comrade and recently altercation over interfaith dialogue by our youths on various Social media platforms, particularly Facebook. The debates seem amusing, even though the one on interfaith has generated more altercation between some Islamic scholars and their followers, leading to personal abuse. I am not against people using social media to crack jokes and have fun, but it will show a lack of seriousness when people waste time on meaningless arguments.

I shudder in disbelief, wondering if something is wrong with our youth. I still recall that just a few weeks ago, a Kaduna-bound train was attacked, with many people killed while scores are still in captivity. Yet, we have seemingly forgotten about them. Instead, we dissipate energy on trivial issues. Have we done enough by putting pressure on the government to rescue our brothers and sisters in captivity?

What about using social media to pressure our governments in the region to evacuate Almajiris off the streets and end such child abuse. What about encouraging our brothers to exhibit tolerance towards other sects rather than altercations?

We have many issues at hand, and we can use social media to compel the government to do our bidding. Still, we are more comfortable arguing over trivial matters and abusing those who do not believe in our ideology. Our Islamic scholars seem not to see the urgent need through their sermons to pressure the government to tackle poverty and Almajiri syndrome in the North.

Social media is a gold mine that has provided many opportunities for personal development and skill acquisition for career advancement. But are we utilising the massive opportunities in social media to improve our lives? Are we learning new skills every day to change our narrative and move to the next level? These are questions that we should be asking ourselves.

Many people worldwide are utilising the vast opportunities made available by social media to enhance their lives, acquire new knowledge and boost their income. I still recall a post made by Dr Muhsin Ibrahim on his Facebook page, lamenting how many graduates cannot use basic email to send letters or apply for jobs. One can acquire this knowledge by spending a few hours on YouTube, but our youth will rather spend hours on Facebook attacking one another over frivolities. Frankly, obtaining mere certificates is not enough in the current era. Practical skill is what differentiates between graduate A and graduate B.

Living in Germany in the last few years has exposed me to the notion that a certificate is not enough but practical skills that can help one deliver on the job. I have seen people finish graduate programmes here and struggle to get a job until they learn practical digital skills online.

In the last few months, I have observed that some people got jobs after learning digital skills for six months or more such as web development, app development, digital marking, and programming, among others. This is despite the fact that they completed their degree at the university here – in Germany. The reality is that companies are only interested in knowing if you have the practical skills to deliver on the job and not a simple certificate.

It is pertinent to note that some forward-thinking youths in the Southern part of Nigeria work remotely for international companies due to the acquisition of digital skills. Thanks to their skill, they live in Nigeria and still earn money in foreign currency.

I have decided to devote much time this year to acquiring digital skills for personal development and suggest that to whoever is interested. I will not hesitate to reiterate that our youth in Arewa should embrace digital skills to escape poverty. With your mobile phone, you can learn practical skills free online. There are various mediums to learn digital skills for free such as Google garage, Udacity, Udemy, Coursera, among others. In fact, I am currently learning a digital skill on Coursera.

Please, my brothers and sisters, I believe we can change the narrative. Our region is bedevilled by mass poverty because of the attitude and mindset of our people. An untrained mind will create and recreate poverty irrespective of the available opportunities. So, stop wasting your data on frivolities. Instead, use it judiciously for something meaningful.

Of course, not everyone will be interested in digital skills, but there are other vocational skills you can still learn by watching YouTube videos. For example, people learn how to bake cakes, cook, and do many things by watching videos on YouTube.

Likewise, you can improve your Islamic knowledge by reading good articles and books on various Islamic websites online rather than using social media negatively. The time is now for us to do the right thing and find a way to improve our lives and that of our families. May Almighty Allah accept our supplication in this month of Ramadan.

Aminu Mohammed is at the school of Sustainability, Christian- Albrechts- Universität zu Kiel, Schleswig Holstein, Germany. He can be reached via gravity23n@gmail.com.

By Khairat Suleiman Jaruma

It took too long for us to realize that one of our biggest problems in northern Nigeria is the Almajiri system, even though we still have a few slowpokes that believe there isn’t anything wrong with the archaic and inhumane system.

We have criticized and blamed the system enough. It’s high time we started doing more action and less talking. But how do we go about it? Can we stop the influx of children into the system? Completely? No, but to a very reasonable extent, yes. But, how do we deal with those in the system already? You might say they should be taken back to their parents, and you are not wrong, but some can’t even remember their parents or where they come from. We also have those who have lost their families and villages due to banditry and terrorism. So, how do you go about it?

Baffah (2022) explained, “The best way to check the Almajiri system is to empower local governments. When you create wealth at the local level, rural to urban migration becomes unattractive, economic equality is everything”. But there is more to do than just this.

It is almost impossible to abolish the Almajiri system, and previous – and even ongoing – efforts to ban it failed woefully. What the Almajiri system needs are sustainable reforms, as opposed to the white elephant reforms that have been made in the past.

NexTier SPD suggests government must adopt the Child Right Act, which is an effort by UNICEF to protect children and ease the prosecution of violators of child rights. It is equally vital that the government criminalizes the movement of Almajiris from one place to another. In addition, begging and child labour should be banned entirely.

Also, the government must work with informal structures such as religious and traditional institutions to support and promote reforms by emphasizing the gain of a reformed Almajiri system to individuals, parents, and the society at large while discouraging incessant childbirths and implementing childbirth control policies.

The importance of religious leaders and traditional stakeholders in sustainable Almajiri reforms can’t be overemphasized. But, it’s also essential that, as individuals, we stop using Almajiris as henchmen for committing heinous crimes or as a source of cheap labour.

Khairat Suleiman Jaruma wrote from Kaduna via khairatsuleh@gmail.com.

By Khairat Suleiman Jaruma

I sat down in the car, slightly annoyed that the Corolla 2003 didn’t have a Bluetooth connection. I love to listen to music when travelling and I was tired of using my AirPods. I was travelling from Kano to Kaduna, and the driver had stopped at Zaria to pray. We parked inside an obsolete filling station.

I was getting bored in the car, so I decided to get out and stretch my legs. So, I walked to the roadside; many people were standing. They seemed to be waiting for travelling cars, so I went closer and figured they were all going to Abuja. Considering the road condition, especially these days, I wondered why someone would be heading to Abuja from Zaria by 4 pm. Anyway, I walked back to the car and sat down, and the driver came, and we continued our journey.

We kept on seeing more people that would scream “Abuja” if the car slowed down. Finally, I could not hold it anymore, so I decided to ask the driver since he travels a lot. I asked him why there were so many people (mostly youths) desperately going to Abuja at this unsafe hour. He said they were all “yan cirani,” meaning unskilled “migrants”.

I kept quiet for a moment, then I went ahead to ask him where they were migrating from, and he said most of them were youths from Zamfara and Sokoto who had lost their families and means of livelihood. Some were even students who could no longer afford to pay tuition fees or even feed themselves. I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

But then, I was wondering why Abuja? We all know the cost of living in Abuja is high; why not Kaduna or Kano? Unfortunately, I have not been able to answer these questions. The main point here is that you will agree with me that there are no jobs for these people in Abuja. The number of people I saw was alarming, and I was told by the driver who plies the road every day that sometimes there are even more people than this number. These people are most likely to become a nuisance to society if they eventually arrive in Abuja and are forced to face the reality of unemployment.

Another sad part is that these are youths that are expected to push this country forward with their innovative ideas. These are the young people we want to see as part of governance. But these young people have been failed and abandoned by their government. So while trying to end insecurity, it is imperative that the government addresses unemployment and creates an effective post-conflict reconstruction for affected areas. Prevention, they say, is better than cure.

Khairat Suleiman Jaruma wrote from Kaduna via khairatsuleh@gmail.com.

By Ibrahim Aminu Iliyasu

A job is a valuable thing that many graduates aspire to gain after graduating school, especially those who consider certificates as tickets for a better life. Years back, our parents told us to go to school and read well so that we could get better jobs and live in affluence.

Today, the trend has changed. Many graduates have now become financially unsuccessful since day one. Of course, it is good to be educated because education is a privilege even among one’s peers. Yes, it is. But that does not assure one a luxurious life. Also, being a graduate does not allow you to be selective in the business or job you can do. I am saying this from pure experiences. 

It has not started today. Buying job offer is as old as the Nigerian post-colonial bureaucratic system. To join the military, one has to pay the sum of 100K or 150K or even above to get himself a permanent ticket for life in the Sambisa forest.

Doubtlessly, all our public institutions have been compromised. They are after money, not merit. Sadly, schools and health institutions where professionalism is supposed to be prioritised are also indulged in this. These days, if you do not have money, no matter your qualifications, you would be unemployed. Even those who can link you to those who give job offers have to pay for you or bribe the human resources team or MDs for a job offer.

I have received different but few job vacancies for sale. Sometimes I ignore them or deliberately reject them. For example, there was a time when I was a security guard at one institution that I coincidently met a father’s friend – a banker, an influential one. He is currently a bank manager in Kano. I opened the gate for him, welcomed him and greeted him. He was surprised that I was a security guard because my father knows the big guns. 

While having a conversation, he told me one word that still makes me happy and proud. “Ai matsalar Alhaji dan due process ne, shi ba zai iya ba da kudi ba a samo ma ka aiki ba” (the problem of Alhaji is that he is a man of principles. Therefore, he cannot give money for his son to be employed”. At last, he promised to talk to Alhaji. While parting, he gave me some money I desperately needed, but notwithstanding, I summoned some courage and rejected the money. I thanked him and moved on.

Secondly, I was once sent to an interview. After I answered all their questions, the interviewer asked me what I had for him while leaving. I said nothing. He nodded his head and told me they would call me. Till now, they have never called me.

Thirdly, I had another interview with an organisation. The guy who sent me to the organisation pretended to care about my condition and wanted to find a better place for me. Fortunately, I have all the requirements. While I thought I would be automatically employed, the man invited me to his office and confessed that he was “gay”. Angrily, I insulted his forefathers, himself and the satan that sings for him. I still regret knowing him. Thus, I forgot about his job.

Frankly, I cannot do things to get a job and/or find a place in the labour market. I cannot do voluntary services in any organisation anywhere on earth because my family and I sponsored me to study. I did not attend a community school either, and I had never enjoyed any government scholarship. Therefore, I cannot share my knowledge or time free of charge. 

I cannot use my money to buy a job offer because any institution that requests me to pay something before it gives me a job is certainly not looking for my credibility or proficiency. Thus, it doesn’t deserve my energy and time, for I would rather die as a hawker than do such evil. 

I will not betray my Creator to please the created. For instance, I will not sodomise to get a job. God forbid. Amin. 

Ibrahim Aminu Iliyasu is a graduate of Political Science and writes from the ancient city of Kano. He can be reached via ibrahimailyasu@gmail.com.

By Musa Idris Panshekara

The commercialisation of job offers is one of Nigeria’s most familiar new faces of corruption. But, on the other hand, there is a constant increase in the numbers of graduates each year produced from different universities and colleges around the country.

Let me begin by citing the Hadith of the Beloved Prophet S.A.W, where he said: “Whoever’s main concern becomes the Hereafter, Allah will make things well for him, and will make richness to dwell in his heart. And the world will come to him despite its unwillingness. And whoever’s main concern becomes this world, Allah will scatter his affairs and will place poverty between his eyes; also, the world will not come to him, except what was written for him.”

You cannot run and surpass your shadow, and you are constantly walking with your preordainment. Let me narrate a brief story of my previous jobs. When I finished my diploma, I worked with two companies. The first one was immediately after the completion of my diploma.

I met with someone and told him that I had finished my diploma. Therefore, if there was any job opportunity, I was available. He answered that he would contact me whenever he got a vacancy. Meanwhile,  I continued with my menial job (tailoring). After some months, I got a call from my friend that, that man asked him to ask me if I have experience of a particular job “he mentioned one working experience, whether I can or not?” I quickly responded, indeed! In sum, I successfully conducted an interview and got the job.

Moreover, a few months later, I got a call from my teacher. He informed me that his friend asked him to find someone who has a certificate in Agricultural science. I replied that I have diplomas in Animal production technology, a certificate in Laboratory science technology, and basic computer skills. He asked me to submit my credentials like that. Some months went by again. Then, I got a call that I should come for an interview. I finally secured the job. I left the present one and switched to the new one. Eventually, I quit the job and went back to school for my HND.

Similarly, after I finished my HND before going for NYSC, a friend of mine (whom we did SIWES together in primary health care) called me that his business partner was looking for an experienced laboratory technician at his newly established laboratory. I got this one, too, after an interview and so on.

Money helps make someone happy but does not mean that money will provide one with all kinds of happiness. Unfortunately, misunderstanding how life is makes many people think that money solves all problems. That is why people desperately toil to earn money to feed themselves and their families legitimately or illegitimately, forgetting the transient of worldly possessions.

Consider my story above; two main things helped me secure the jobs. First is my employability. In other words, my experience before coming across the opportunities. Second, my relationship or connection. Therefore, I am saying that acquiring skills makes a person employable.

Buying or selling job offers will not solve your problem forever. So let us free ourselves from corruption and prepare a better life for our posterity.

Musa Idris Panshekara wrote from Kano via pmusaidris@gmail.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Jobseekers in Nigeria have narrated harrowing tales of how job offer sale decimates their chances of securing jobs in a country where the national economy has remained increasingly stagnant.

According to a recent report by Bloomberg, unemployment in Nigeria has surged to the second-highest on the global list, jumping to 33.3%.

Graduates, who took to social media to condemn the menace, decried how bribery, corruption and politics militate against the growth of institutions in the country.

They argued that buying and selling of job offers are affecting almost all the institutions in the country, as it will be at the expanse of merit and skills

Fraud in employment is believed to be the reason the standard of education in the country continues to witness a fatal decline, and unemployment rises at child’s Christmas wishes.

Graduates narrate harrowing experiences

Every year Nigerian institutions produce thousands of graduates who come out to compete for the few available job opportunities.

A graduate, Usman Bello Balarabe, said that he was once asked to pay N1.2 million for a lecturing job offer.

Immediately he returned to Nigeria from India after bagging his Master’s degree. He was greeted with an outrageous N1.2 million job offer to teach at a Federal University in northern Nigeria.

Balarabe, who was initially over-excited, said his hope was dashed upon learning that it was a give-and-take offer, as he had to break the bank if he indeed wanted to land the job. 

He said, “I was all smiling when I was told, until when I heard him saying that I have to pay N1.2 million to get that offer. The amount shocked me to the marrow”.

Auwal Mukhtar Usman, a university lecturer, said recently someone shopped her job offer for N3.5 million.

He said, “A lady recently confided in me that she bought her offer for about N3.5 million to teach in one federal government agency. It’s equally disheartening how these politicians connive with the university administrators by allocating slots for them. In the end, it is the University that suffers.”

A.S Mohammed also shared his experience, saying that a lecturing offer was advertised to him for N1.5 million in June last year.

He added, “I was asked to bring a potential buyer for a lecturing job offer at the Federal University, Dutsen-Ma, for N1.5 million; no discount whatsoever.

“And it didn’t matter what course the buyer studied or what class of degree he graduated with. That incident stroke me dumb with surprises and left me paralyzed. It took me almost a month to recover from that shock.”

Pay, get promoted

From job offer sale things are worsening to ‘promotion’ for sale, as workers at various institutions in the country pay to get promoted. 

Sa’idu Mustapha Buhari argued that it is not only job offer that is sold, but also promotions are purchased.

He said, “It is not only job offers that are sold.  Promotion, advancement, transfer, release for training, among others, have their prices in some sectors.

“Though fixing Nigeria must be a collective effort, people as individuals must change.

“The bitter part of the story is that: everyone works for himself, not for the people. The sense of nationalism is totally absent among us. That’s why I support the mantra: CHANGE BEGINS WITH ME…If any Nigerian applies this, Nigeria will be fixed,” he added.

Also commenting, a media consultant, Yahya Abdurrahman, stated that the fraud is not only rocking not only the education sector.

He said, “The deeper you dig, the more worrisome information you would come across. Unfortunately, the rot is also prevalent in the Nigerian Police, Customs Service and other Security affiliated Agencies.”