I have noticed the zeal with which we all seek for Jobs, especially graduates with no experience, the desperation that would make you accept any offer of employment. Employers have capitalised on this, you see a situation whereby a driver vacancy seeks for HND holder with upper credit.

What of the pay? Ask workers in Lekki, any offer in Lekki that pays you lower than N50,0000 per month, you would be running at a loss, Imagine someone living in Sango ota, working in Lekki, you leave your house by 4.30am and return by 10.30pm, another name for Nightcrawlers or Batmen and women.

Working condition is another thing entirely, No break, salaries come late, No welfare or Health facilities, all your sweat makes your greedy boss richer, so what makes you different from a slave? You dare not leave cos there are millions of jobless graduate waiting for something bad to happen to you,

Everyman for himself God for us all,
N.B- I'm working with a consulting Firm in V.I.

When the desirable is not available, the available becomes desirable.

We have become victims of circumstance surrounding us.

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man becomes the king.

. . . . need I say more?

server34:

When the desirable is not available, the available becomes desirable.

We have become victims of circumstance surrounding us.

In the land of the blind, the one eyed man becomes the king.

. . . . need I say more?

You dont need to say more. You have captured it all. It is unfortunate that our school system do little to ignite the enterpreneural spirit in us, but only to join the long queue of job seekers on graduation.
It's a case of demand and supply, and employers know this too well. U take anything thrown at in order to survive. Pathetic shey?

its a time bomb waiting to blow up
meanwhile, we've started feeling the vibrations

most companies are slave camp and this has really affected the employee in all area of their life, financially materially and socially, imagine a young man with 40-50 naira salary, how will he cope and forge ahead with life in Lagos, accommodation na wahala, transportation has increased geometrically of recent, feeding and clothing is there how will he think of marriage or raising children, sometimes life is mysterious

Insert Quote

most companies are slave camp and this has really affected the employee in all area of their life, financially materially and socially,

imagine a young man with 40-50 naira salary, how will he cope and forge ahead with life in Lagos, accommodation na wahala, transportation has increased geometrically of recent, feeding and clothing is there how will he think of marriage or raising children, sometimes life is mysterious

Yahoozee

I pity bank employees the most.   They work so hard and are on auto-pilot much of the time. Little wonder they can be unfriendly sometimes.
What's more? Their social life is almost zero. I have two ladies close to me who work in different Nigerian banks and so I know it. Some bank workers in some departments are not allowed out of the bank premises during working hours. They resume early and close late. Hmn.

Even myself, I am self-emplyed but I am the slave and the slave driver at the same time. I work 7 days a week, and more than 12 hours every day.  

PatheTic! God dey  

He no easy oo! Transport Fare go don carry the money finish sef! even some ppl b4 Month end! Debts don Pile up like ToiLeT roLL!

its a time bomb waiting to blow up

Guy na reaL GranadE!  

The most anoying part of it is the Workload/Salary. You work like an Elephant but can not even aford to eat like a rat cose it is either u are on the run to repay a loan or u have over presented I.O.U request. It is the Government, we have want it takes but just imagine the generally economic and business environment of Nigeria. no Power, No water and every other business without this sounds like scam not forgeting banks 5'c of credit how can one meet up with there requirments not even considering the so called interest rate and other charges to be short and simply. We need a coup' (wip out the old politicians and there successors, OBJ, IWU and , ) and lets start over. the country is in a big mess, we are far from 2020.

because they know you need it, they take advantage of it and treat you anyhow.
God help us.

PaTHetic!!!

Like one person has said, we haven't been trained with an enterprenurial

skills and moreso, starting a small scale biz in nigeria is so difficult. You

have to consider capital, running costs and the banks aren't ready to invest
in your biz idea.

It's indeed a case of everyone for himself. Who can blame the GREEDY employers
who take adv of the situation and enrich themselves without good renumerations
to those doing the job.

God dey![(sub]dem say na poor man's prayer but I think it's a nigerian prayer)[/sub]

The situation is what i call VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY, That means we keep going in circles, you earn salary, you borrow money before the month ends to augument your expenses, at month end you collect your salary to pay off loans, you borrow new loan to meetup before the end of the month, you collect your salary to pay off the loan, you borrow loan to meetup again, and it goes on, The cycle is completed!!!!!!
The children of the rich gets good job cos they have connections regardless of what grades or what schools they attended, they become bossess of their seniors at work because they can afford a UK or US masters program, When i was in the labour market, i went for a PZ test that only needed 30 management trainees, over 10,000 jobless graduates came for the test, PZ staffs has internal candidate that wont write test, those ones were even more than 30, so tell me "when the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?",
Elected politicians are getting richer by the day, senators and Reps members are living in paradise, sharing the blood of people in Niger Delta, The president is a weakling, Ministers are incompetent, PHCN is a whole new topic on Nairaland, its a demon we cant cast out, My Refridgerator has become a cupboard full of cockroaches, i even hang my shirts inside, I REST MY CASE, THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY!!!!!!

It is really a pathetic situation, and unfortunately there's very little an employee can do about it. If you think your job is annoying and you are being underpaid by your employer, there are a thousand and one other job seekers out there that are ready to take the same job for a lesser pay just to have a place to go in the morning.
Maybe the reverse would have been the case if our academic system is tailored towards being an entrepreneur rather than job seekers. It is not uncommon that you will find a man of 35yrs still cohabiting with his parents in this part of the world. Not that he doesn't have a job, but that his salary is too tight for him to tithe, not to mention getting an apartment of his own.
To rent a fairly comfortable flat in Lagos, you would need nothing less than half a million this probably more than an average graduate's annual salary.

My Refridgerator has become a cupboard full of cockroaches, i even hang my shirts inside, I REST MY CASE, THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY!!!!!!

                          I don Laugh Die!!! Abeg Close ur Fridge well oo! Na EKUTE (Bush RaT) go come EnteR soon oo

NEPA is 1 of the biggesT problem in naija! F***k NEPA!

@ Poster
ITS TERRIBLE
I work in lekki and got a clear picture of wot u sayin. When i started was earning jus a lil above 50k and i used to stay in Akute, Ogun state. Transport alone cost N1,000 per day.

So wot bout feedin, clothes and miscellaneous

To top it of, i worked, sorry, i stil work saturdays and sundays and closed as late as 9pm!
On Monday i even got home (my family house in AKute) at mid nite

Tho my pay is beta than b4, i limit severely so i can save. I pity those who earn less than N50k and stay far from the office, its suicide.

Guys if you see the way people dey rush for bus @ lekki first roundabout
CHAI! I fear

I hav cut my knee in such a rush b4, in the office i have torn my first suit jacket while runnin up and down the staircase to attend to MD.

Things r a bit beta but cant forget when i used to sleep on the bus b'cos of fatigue, forget change of N500

Kai! C traffic

God help us workers

Slavery in the workplace is for those who have chosen to remain slaves.

Pt out, become an employer of labour and you can be the slave master. Kaprish!

^{Easier said than done?}

This is my honest reply to this post. It is not everyone that can become an entrepreneur. I also believe people should discover their natural gifts. It would go a long way in making them comfortable in life. People also need to take a look at their lifestyle and spending habits. When you spend so much money on drinks and other frivolities, there is no way you won't complain about being treated at your workplace like a slave. I have seen people who are not earning much in Nigeria but they are comfortable. They know how to get things at bargain prices and they save some money every month, no matter how small the amount is. I'm not against having some fun now and then, but what do you have to say about a man that earns 40,000 naira a month and takes 4 bottles of Gulder daily? or smokes packs of cigarettes everyday? Our spending habits also contribute to our standard of living. Cheers.

i believe in the spirit of entrepeneurship, the dream of every young person is run his own business.
we would want to say, their are factors that work against eg bad power supply,inadequate capital,etc
but with determination and focus we could conquer.
i can never work for anybody,right from my undergraduate days,i was always doing something,
i have being into gsm business,digital photography,events planning.
right now i am an engineer but i didnt look for job after graduation,
i went into the ict sector and i can pay my billls,

@ congohouse

I'm happy for you, mate. I'm also entrepreneurial in nature. However, like I said earlier on, it is not everyone that can manage his or her own business. It takes a deep intellect to become a successful entrepreneur. However, people can live well if they watch their spending habits and lifestyle. Cheers.

Employers or slave drivers?
The answer is somewhere in the middle. Historical aspect of industrial labor relations will help us at this point. We all know that during the industrial revolution, people worked so hard, continuously, and without a break that some of them basically worked themselves to death, literalily.

In the early 1900 America, industries made people work 16-hours non-stop, no break, no food, and in some cases---no going to use the toilet. Then, people were forced to work 7-days a week; to crown it all, you were never paid overtime, even after working 16-18 hours a day. In post war Japan, people were led to turn their samurai attitudes toward working for their companies, in which case, people could happily die working for the benefit of the company. Remember the industrial boom Japan had after the WWII.

Today, Many Japanese and American company workers are forced to sing a praise song for their company every morning whether they like it or not, some workers even take it further, they also dance for their company. As late as 1990s we all heard about Chinese sweat shops where wpmen and children are basically locked until they produce a certain amount finished goods. India also has its own tale of dehumanizing labor conditions. Today, India, China, and Japan seek to export labor to an even cheaper market such Africa and S. America

While these labor conditions are obviously deplorable, let's not forget that every nation passes through that route on its way to modernization and growth. From the Charles Dicken's era of industrial revolution to the maddening crowds of Paris, to the ghettos of Germany, to the Iron workers of Pittsburgh, to the chemical workers of NJ; rough labor conditions have always been the norm rather than the exception.

I don't support slavery conditions for our companies, but Nigerians need to learn the true meaning of WORK. It's not fun, it not a social gathering, or a place to play politics/tribalism/sectionalism, or appear/disappear as ghost workers, work is painful and difficult. However, work is what's going to transform Nigeria from a lazy-ass-corrupt-oil-gulping-goal-misoriented nation to a modern country capable of competing with other nations like India, China, and Japan that has gone through the same phase of industrial growth.

Is there really an alternative to hard, stressfull, and demanding work environment for a country that wants to develop, and acquire skills of the developed nation?

@Naijaking1

You have spoken well. You have said it all. Nigerians need to understand the meaning of WORK. Many Nigerians don't want to work hard but they want to live comfortably. I have been to Government parastatals in Nigeria and words cannot express the lethargy I noticed there. You will see workers chatting as soon as they get to their desks. One Federal Parastatal in Akure, Ondo State, has workers that start playing the game of checkers [ Draughts ] as early as 9:00am in the morning. Meanwhile, the place is decrepit with nothing serious going on there. One of the workers even told me [ I was a corper attached to the Parastatal then ] I should not bother reporting for work. He told me he just comes to collect his salary at the end of the month.

I have been shown the light about WORK in Britain. You will not be paid if you don't work hard in the United Kingdom. If you're lazy, you will soon be found out and you'll get sacked. This work ethic also obtains in other European countries. The reason why the Western economies are advanced is that hardwork is encouraged in those countries. Citizens are made to give their best in all they do. If you're hardworking in Britain, you will be recognized and most times, there is a kind of reward for you. It does not matter if you're working for the minimum wage. The guys that clean my street are white English and they do their job graciously. The good thing is that some of them live well and have exotic cars. On the other hand however, a minimum wage must be set for the Private sector too. The Nigerian government has to see to that. A living wage has to be set and enforced by the government so that Nigerians can afford to have a good standard of living while working hard for their employers.

Our work habit is very poor in Nigeria. It's encouraged by bad governmental policies, corruption, and tribalism.

All these are soon to change I see a great revolution coming soon! story,

Rich John

great revowetin?

Great REVOLUTION!!!! Beta believe it bro

Guys, guys, I no see any big deal in all this. Work isn't meant to be fun jare.
It's a means of livelihood. Work hard and hope for the best, rather than grumbling about employers as slave drivers. They don't pay you to enjoy life, do they?

@NaijaKing

In principle you defintiely hit the nail on the head as per the need for hard work however Nigeria has not even past through an industrialisation age yet. I think we are still waiting for Yardua and his cohorts to wake up to that fact or as emiemi says a revolution

Having spent my whole professional life working in the banking & consultancy field in the UK it has been an "experience" working in Nigeria. It seems that lethargy is definitely the order of the day in the vast majority of companies. On the other hand however I have found that merit & hard work does not "necessarily" push you forward in Nigeria. I get pressured everyday to put unqualified family members into positions they have no postion being in. I may not succumb but others might. I dont think anyone has an answer to Nigeria's myriad of problems, or Nigerian business or individual behavioral patterns. I just know there are a lot of them and without good leaders in place to ensure that Nigeria develops organically and in a sustained manner then we will still be on nairaland in 100 years talking about how employers are still slave drivers.

It's probably high time our unemployed youths started thinking of going back to the roots.
Back to agriculture, back to nature's own source of riches.

Nigeria is undoubtably a consuming nation. This country puchases almost all that she consumes. This implies that as a poultry farmer for instance, your pocket is the sink for every Nigerian that consumes chicken, and there are millions of them ON A DAILY BASIS.

Most of Nigeria's soil are arable and conducive for farming. But many would rather resort to armed robbery, 419, drug trafficking, gate crashing at job interviews and test centres years after graduation.

Yes, agriculture requires capital. But most of what it needs is the desire to take it up and half the attention it takes to monitor your email and scouting the internet for the next mugu.

If the Nigerian unemployment situation throws a stone at you, hurl a brick at it.

Photographer
Fashion designer
Fish farmer
Event organiser, you dont need NEPA for this
Mechanic, nor for this
Hair Stylist, nor this (weaving etc)

The list of multimillion Naira earning professions in a consumer nation is Nigeria is endless

most companies are slave camp and this has really affected the employee in all area of their life, financially materially and socially, imagine a young man with 40-50 naira salary, how will he cope and forge ahead with life in Lagos, accommodation na wahala, transportation has increased geometrically of recent, feeding and clothing is there how will he think of marriage or raising children, sometimes life is mysterious.

Companies that pay 40-50k try. Graduate employee that work under states earn far less than that.  prior to the increase in salaries last year, fresh graduate that work in ministries earned 34k while those in parastatals earned 48k.

The few workers that really work hard don't get corresponding rewards, instead many of them loose out to lazy-well-connected-co-workers. This malignant culture has passed from generation to another since the 1960s.

Whatever happened to an honest day's work for an honest day's pay?