coogar: Foreign Degree & The Nigerian Reality

Nigeria is a highly blessed country to an abundance of mineral wealth and an energetic work force sadly, it is easier for a Senator to disclose how much he earns than for one to land any gainful employment here. Thus, in a bid to stand taller than most of my peers in the labour market, I joined the league of those who travelled to the United Kingdom for further studies. As a warning, those of you still contemplating returning to Nigeria for good should either look away now, or be ready to be jolted.

When I decided to relocate to Nigeria after a little under a decade in Europe, I did not imagine it would be easy to start a better life here; a life powered by a lucrative job. I did not reckon I would still be grappling with the viciousness of the Nigerian situation more than a year after I returned. I had many job promises from friends and contacts that gave the impression they had something to offer. I was very confident and couldn’t wait for my flight to depart London Heathrow Airport for the journey back home.

Finally in Nigeria, the euphoria of being back to a place I call home started to wear off after a month. As a man on a mission, I started moving round the country armed with my CV and a strong faith in Nigeria. I thought my newly acquired British accent and my UK certificates would make a difference. Well, my certificate has not made any difference and my “fake” accent only made most interviewers unfriendly. The only difference I have noticed is that the soles of my shoes have started wearing off due to trekking and my London clothes have started “fading”.

I have attended many interviews, passed all of them and asked to “be ready to resume in two weeks”. Well, it is gone past one year now, and I have finally given up on this country. One thing though is clear, people such as Reuben Abati and Doyin Okupe might disagree (who cares?), but about 90 per cent of jobs in Nigeria go to cronies of either those in government or those working in places where such vacancies exist. Merit has been thrown to the dogs and that is why you find all manner of unintelligent people working in sensitive positions all over the country.

Well, why not start something on your own, don’t expect the government to do everything for you, you know? What have I not tried? Even though it smirks of having a pessimistic disposition towards striving to make a living here, the fact remains that the government of Nigeria has not put the enabling environment in place for the advancement of private enterprise. That may well explain why you notice that only those that are close to the government make the list of “20 richest Nigerians”.

It is really a harrowing experience having to explain to friends why a business plan you thought was going to work out perfectly in Nigeria collapsed the very moment you stood up to try it out. Nigerian banks are not helping matters either; it is easier for a Boko Haram chap to embrace Christianity than for a Nigerian bank to agree to give you a loan to start a business. Be ready to produce all manner of “collateral”, your great-grandfather’s living next of kin, among others. This is the first step towards being disillusioned here.

If eventually you manage to establish something that has a semblance of a consultancy, or able to team up with an already established practice, you must be ready to deal with the realities on ground. Warning number one. Do not expect to see everybody exhibiting that rare sense of honesty. If you want to show most people that the way things are done here should be dumped for the better ways you learnt abroad, you will find out that you would be on “your own.” Ours is a system whose major fuel-source is corruption ­­— be ready to play ball, or at most, do not attempt to rock the boat.

After a while, you begin to ask yourself if it was really worth the stress-going to spend some good money studying abroad only to come back to Nigeria armed with a foreign certificate, an accent that makes you sound funny. Well, given another opportunity, I will do it again, and again. Quality education is power.

But then, what is the way forward?

I believe strongly that Nigeria remains one vast and lucrative market. Whoever that is daring will surely hit gold here. However, the key is to discard any false hopes that suggest that having a foreign degree is an assurance to some splendid employment. That was in the past.

Secondly, it is better to do a research on your intended engagement before you jet into Nigeria. From experience, all I had going for me was a luggage filled with job promises and a conviction that my foreign certificates would speed up the process of getting a good job. Wrong. People here excel in promising what they know is not within their power to do.

Thirdly (maybe most importantly), save up some cash before relocating to Nigeria-at least, enough cash to last you for about a year. Friends are many when you are “fresh” from overseas but the vanishing acts commence the moment you start moaning about paucity of funds and no employment. Most “friends” have a mental problem that makes them run faster than Usain Bolt the moment they suspect you will start asking for a loan. So, make sure you pinch your resources till you are sure of a regular income.

On a lighter note, be ready to become a Bible carrier, a “practising Muslim”, or a strong adherent of African Traditional Religion. You will be ridiculed, excluded and mocked the moment you attempt to convince your mates that there is so much poverty and ignorance in Nigeria, not because one is not a follower of any religion but because we have over the years, been ruled by visionless men and women whose major pre-occupation was looting our resources and banking same in foreign banks. Has that situation changed?

Finally, Nigeria is a beautiful country with a majority of the people willing to work to make a living. However, years of poor leadership and a docile citizenry have made living in Nigeria appear like being in hell. Believe me, there is everything stacked against you here, but the reality remains that you must be daring and be ready to get dirty to make a living here. Nigeria is the place to be. There are countless opportunities in Nigeria-we are not bad people, but our government is peopled by bad citizens.

by John Chikadibie Okafor.

davidylan: I do not understand nigerians who spend so much money to get a foreign degree only to return to the failure that is nigeria.

Godogwu:

Well that's your very shallow minded opinion.

coogar:
Why can't a geography graduate work in a bank? Do you have an inkling of what geographers study? The last time I checked I discovered a speciality area of geography christined ' economic geography' And mind any body could become a professional banker all you need to do is just t allign your leanings.
don't be deceived........
there are jobs in nigeria but they are currently occupied by misfits, less qualified foreigners and age-cheats who keep celebrating their 45th birthday every year because they don't want to be forced into retirement. the real problem is the right people are not getting the jobs. why should a geography graduate be in a bank and a master degree holder is outside driving cabs?



the jobs are there, nepotism is the problem!



some are forced to come back because of visa issues - some are just tired of living abroad and they want to be with their families. minus the visa issues, you think nigerians would not stay abroad where the system works? don't be naive.....

[size=50pt]........ be ready to get dirty to make a living here.[/size]

Rhino.5dm:



Is Bleep not the name of the guy from ATBU? He had previous experience as TOTAL trainee, NO?. . .It seems you always have a way of watering down the real situation on ground.

What I know for sure is 80% fresh jobs in MNC's is based on arrangee and who you know. At least I know Exxon Mobil, Shell and Agip like back of my hand. I know like a dozen of guys that got jobs in the aforementioned without without writing job test. Worst of it is Agip that don't consider test as a criteria, all you have to know is one ashawo that is phocking Italian, you start work the next day.

Exxon is another scam. At Exxon Mobil, All you have to do is to know either Fami Dada, Asuquo or Mr. Oluwole. T.

Shell?? Yeah, where people get recruited without attending interviews? Or where 90% of SITP trainees are recruited based on insiders standing for them?

NNPC or Dpr is equally is not merit since is quota system based. The only room left is for one to get experience in the field and how do you do that, if entry level selection is fraud?

[size=50pt]..........Nigeria - We are not bad people, [s]but our government is peopled by bad citizens.[/s][/size]

davidylan:

well of course your parents are rich (perhaps through oil/government contracts) and connected so you would have no problem with nigeria.

Olodostein: Until we fundamentally change our value system. Insanity continues.

mygirrl: I completely agree with the poster, I came back like 5 months ago after all the promises i'm yet to find a job, despite the fact that i worked for 2 years before coming back. I find it insulting that companies want to take me as a fresher (when i graduated close to six years ago). I know what is inside my head and i strongly believe that if given a chance i can make a difference but its Nigeria we are talking about. I have already made up my mind to start up something small and see how far it can grow by the grace of God. I don't blame many Nigerians abroad for refusing to come back.

LastApostle: OP, did they not taught you short hand at Cambridge?
If you write this thesis as an application for a job in Nigeria...walahi talahi...you fail or do you want to threaten your interviewer job?

Mr knowitall.:
Ill help you out...go to Ghana you will get a job in a week...

Zzyzx92: Abeg mk the op go sleep jare

blackmann: [b]Bro, don't feel sad or upset about it. I was in your shoes too. I came to the USA to get a masters degree in my field(Computer Science) hoping that when I finally go back to naija, i will get a very good job somewhere. Imagine my dismay when after a whole year, I didn't get anything. Everyone was like come back today, come back tomorrow,, we are not employing, blah blah blah. Even at one place i had an interview, the guy saw my Degree certificate and my CV, and the first thing he asked me was - "Are u sure this your Masters is not an online degree?". I wanted to yank him by his stupid afro and tear out a few hairs. At the end of the day the stupid company told me if they are going to employ me, they cannot pay me more than 70k. i told them to take their job and shove it where the sun don't shine. After a while i just decided to pack myself and my newly wedded wife and head back here.

Back to the topic at hand, like you said, no knowledge earned is lost. with the way things are going on in Nigeria today, the best bet is for you to set up something with the knowledge you've gained from your overseas study. You cannot compare yourself with someone who has the same degree from a nigerian university. the difference is very clear. once you start something, and with your knowledge and connections, and if you run things the way you were taught and trained, u will make it. The thing about Nigeria is once something can sell, u will profit alot from it. forget about government jobs. They are just an "aside". Focus on being an EMPLOYER of labour, not an EMPLOYEE where one yeye oga who doesn't even have a school leavers certificate will be insulting you.[/b]

Jarus:
1, Remove his name from your post.
2, Did he get Shell offer by knowing someone? Yes or No.
3, He was never a Total trainee. Never on Total payroll. He was only a Total scholar. Got - thru merit again - Total scholarship for his Msc in PTI, PH. And he started his Shell process before he got his Msc cert. So I don't know the 'experience' in Total you are talking about.

On Mobil, you can see I have not mentioned Mobil in my examples because I also notice some crookedness in its recruitment. But Shell, Chevron and a good number of other IOCs are largely merit-driven, believe it or not. I can list 10 names that got Shell and Chevron offers on merit.