I am a graduate of Business Administration, University of Lagos, Akoka with a Second Class Honours (Lower Division).

Since the 2002/2003 academic sessions that I finished without extra day, getting employed has been as difficult like trying to get near the sun in the sky. I started from paying N10 to newspaper vendors to read papers having published vacancies. I was able to get a job with a man who consults for Nigerian airports on security matter. Here, I got a very bad treatment that I even forgot I finished from UNILAG. It got to a stage of 'no work, no pay'. After owing me for 4 months unpaid, and I was indebted to all and sundry and even my own siblings saw the change in my life style, that I was becoming too stingy not understanding that I was not even having anything. I had to leave the job. I thought about starting something on my own, something which would not require capital to start, it was difficult to comeby, then, it came to mind that I knew something about procuring visa, I tried to do it for people but they are not getting the visa. I felt bad because I didnt have connections at the embassies, I had to drop it. Now, a lot more responsibilities are haunting me. I got hooked to my girlfriend and we have a baby, just recently. I have to tighten my belt to make the far ends meet . I was lucky early this year when a friend in one of the insurance companies invited me to work temporarily at the end of which the company decided to retain 2 out of 10. It was difficult, I made all preparations and hoping that my friend could influence the situation. I knew I did well at the interview but the godfatherism thing came to play. My friend's boss was interested in a slot and giving the other slot to my friend. I discovered I was not the only one in the hands of my friend who had no choice but to give to slot out to a closer pal of his who had been jobless for long even longer than mine. This is a prototype of what is going on in most work places. I have written more than a hundred aptitude test and interviews are uncountable, all to no avail. It shows that you have to know someone somewhere before you can get a job at least to get food on your table. I wonder what Nigeria is turning to. The law wont open its eyes to see you steal or earn money illegally, you want to survive. Most times I thought of being an 'okada rider', i dont know howto do it. I have been hearing such stories before I managed to pass through higher education sytem thinking that those graduates doing menial jobs were not up to the task of taking on a good job. I yielded to my father's advice that we should try our best to get more education even if he couldnt afford it. I tried my best through hard labour and luckily a scholarship. Now, there's nothing to show. Maybe, if my father was alive, he could have looked for a link somewhere in one of the big comapnies in Nigeria. There are hundreds of individuals in my shoes and I feel sorry for graduates with all their efforts to survive the hardship in school life, from lecturers' hard grips and strikes here and there, now roaming the streets with nothing, even the uneducated ones mock us because they are not encouraged.

I am pleading here, if there is anyone who has gotten the link to an employment that can put food 'on time' on my table at least 2 square meals daily, I will so much appreciate.

Kindly send an email to me if you can help: olaokuribido@yahoo.com.

Thanks and God bless you all!

My brotha, from a fellow Akokite, e go better.
I consider myself unemployed right now even tho am 'managing' in a private coy that an uncle had to call in favors to get me. I get paid 25k monthly. A whole Engineer. They said I should at least keep busy.
I've been unemployed 6 months counting from end NYSC but am heavily disadvantaged as some of my mates have secured high-paying jobs in oil, some are about completing their M.sc's from foreign Uni's- and me? I still dey hustle.
If there is a God, e go better. If there is no God, e go still better.
All said, I believe in the power of Positive thinking. Things in the country may be falling apart, but am gon handle my business- one way or another.

Bros,

No be only you dey that mess. I finished service in 2002 December but i have never worked long in a good coy. I lost my last Job last November in questionable circumstance and getting another has proven herculean. My girl even left me in this period. Just keep trying God will crown it soon.

since God is still on the throne, i believe he will grant us all our heart desires. God that created mouth will surely provide what to feed it with. he says hs thought towards us is of good to give us an expected end. bros put ur trust in god and he will see to ur case soon.

Hey yahhh.

I really feel for you.

Its like fresh graduates are graduating to meet a huge back-log of unemployed graduates.

I'm not an exception to this.

bros, you need to change your mindset for you to move forward.
jobs are really scarce in nigeria because we do not produce any thing tangible.
People still get jobs on merit.
Try to improve yourself, read magazines, newspapers etc .
Also look around you and see what you can do on your own without money or very little money.
lots of nigerians are living well without being involved in crime/paid jobs.
Even the simple call centre girl makes reasonable money to keep body/soul together.
Do not be shy or ashamed on what ever you decide to do.
Pray and fast and ask God for direction.
If you have not accepted Jesus, pls do that.
You will be suprised what the lord can do

I almost wept reading your story. it is the sad tale of life many found themselves. Somebody gave you the best advice which is getting to know God and Jesus Christ. That is the first step really, I am not talking religion here. The bible says you shall know the truth and it will set you free. It is not an instant thing for things to change in the physical I must let you know, but take the step and you will see changes, If you are born again just hold on to your confession. The bible sya anyone wavering is unstable and wont recieve. I prays fro the blessings of God upon your life. For your girlfriend and your baby, I pray for the guidance of God upon them. God bless you my friend

aimanosi:

I almost wept reading your story. it is the sad tale of life many found themselves. Somebody gave you the best advice which is getting to know God and Jesus Christ. That is the first step really, I am not talking religion here. The bible says you shall know the truth and it will set you free. It is not an instant thing for things to change in the physical I must let you know, but take the step and you will see changes, If you are born again just hold on to your confession. The bible sya anyone wavering is unstable and wont recieve. I prays fro the blessings of God upon your life. For your girlfriend and your baby, I pray for the guidance of God upon them. God bless you my friend

crack and bull.
the best advice so far is;

obamamate:

bros, you need to change your mindset for you to move forward.
jobs are really scarce in nigeria because we do not produce any thing tangible.
People still get jobs on merit.
Try to improve yourself, read magazines, newspapers etc .
Also look around you and see what you can do on your own without money or very little money.
lots of nigerians are living well without being involved in crime/paid jobs.
Even the simple call centre girl makes reasonable money to keep body/soul together.
Do not be shy or ashamed on what ever you decide to do.

Poster, and to all others in this situation:
I would advise you all to go on a personal development program. Read books on business, wealth creation, financial success, etc. This will help in changing your mindset so you can see the different opportunities around you, and you might also be able to come up with your own ideas.
Try reading "Think and grow rich". It's a classic work of art.
Also, I am sure you have talents and what you're good at. Write a list of all the stuff you can do, even if its something you think is trivial, like talking or surfing the internet. Then ask yourself, how you can leverage this. Also list all the people you know, and think of how you can work out something.
If the mind believes an idea, it finds ways to make it happen.
But if you have the "It cannot work in naija" mentality, then may Jah help you oh.
Success!

@ Op, this is from your profile. . .

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with god, all things are possible,,,,,,,,,,,,,he will do it for you, just believe on him,,,,,,,,,,,he did it for me, he is still faithful to do it for you,,,

May be u can learn from me i finished my N.Y.S.C in 1998 in other not to just sit at home doing nothing i got a job with private school who pays just N2,500 per month pple thouhgt i was stupid but i can not beg  for money to make my C.V  and transport myself to attend intrviews so i use this money 4 this , i was on this salary 4 two years b4 it was increased to N3,500 meanwhile i was still looking 4 a job so that i can leave that  stupid job, but after working for 4yrs without geting another job , i change to another school who pays N9,500 .IT IS VERY EASY TO GET A TEACHING JOB. Meanwhile i was still searching 4  a good job , during this period i got married , a  very low profile wedding, althogh pple &  my sibbling tagged me stingy man not knowing that u can not giv what u dont have.
 I continued my search 4 a good job which refused to come ,by 2006 i denied my wife food and so many luxuries even when she was pregnant to save money and rent a shop 4 her she has O.N.D in bus admin to start a businees centre with just one computer and one printer and employed a computer techer to put her through 4 just one month and i paid him N5,00 for his job so immediately after 3months  of delivery she she resumed to the shop while i was still teaching and searching 4 a that reused t o show up, it later done on me that i will never get a good job considering my age so i decided to set up my own busineess , my brother & N/L it was not easy starting a business without capital and not having hope of getting the capital but i started by encouraging myself with books that i read and tapes tha ilistened to. TODAY 2009 MY BROTHER I AM STILL HUSTLING BUT I OWNED A REGISTERD COMPANY 4 STAFFS EACH COLLETING N10,000 PER MONTH AND MY WIFE OWNS ABT 6 COMPUTERS TO HER SELF WITH SERIES OF PRINTER
I HOPE U HAV LEARNT SOMETHING AND ENCOURAGED . THANK YOU

Perseverance does pay. don't give up and try not to be narrow minded as all roads ain't straight. we might need to go round circles before we find our true path. only challenge is to discover the right path at the right time
Good luck

Making it in life is a rough road which can be straightend with positive thought.I feel for every one in this condition bt will advice to start thinking positively, look at what u can do best and start no matter how small it is, even if it is bring small children together for a lesson and lastly, put God first in all your doings, He is the only one that can see one through
Good Luck

I feel your pain bro. Its hard to expect much from the Nigerian labour market as it is today. Our only viable industry now is corruption.Nothing else.Not the best of time to be a graduate school leaver. This has been true for sometime now.

Think of what kind of service people need and see how you can render such service. Private home tutor, pest control, organized refuse disposal etc. Try and beat your own path. Dont look at the others.

This our dear country is a sad story,

i have an older brother who is in this case also, and he is no more young, most of his mates in age bracket would be assistant managers now at banks if not higher,

why must somone find it hard to get a job in his own country, i tire oh,

i just want to wish you the best, wish i could help, but the best i can do is to proay for you and for those looking for jobs,

just be prayerful and hopeful, if u dont get a job, you will find somfin to do that would bring coutless food to your table,

easy man,

Hi,

Just some small advice, There is something you can do ANYTIME, even if it means not sleeping for days to acheive it. When you "wake up" ill advice you start what you LOVE to do, SPEAK out and the rest , "MONEY" will come after. This is true my friend,

I would always enjoy paying a carpenter that loves his art ( Because you will notice it and it not hard for them to get jobs )

Look within your self and life,

Take care.

Remember!! YOU make the money NOT the money make you

Stories that torch the heart will always remind you of your past (present).
take heart and hope on God, he is their for you.
best of luck

Send your cv to career@flexi-net.com

i agree with the God angle. GOd is your best shot.

In the mean time learn some trade or something like tailoring and capentry. If u search hard enough u will find someone who will allow u to study under them for free. Focus and reach for excellence. No job is too menial and u can make great money doing "seemingly" menial job.

Notice my seemingly in quote. No job is menial as long as it is honest and will pay my bills.

Notice my seemingly in quote. No job is menial as long as it is honest and will pay your bills. my friend learnt all sort when she was searching for a job - Baking and sewing . My sis-in law learnt hairdressing ( both are 2.1 graduates of cmp sci) - skills that have becoem insdispnsable to them now even with their high flying jobs now

Your sorry is touching, Just look inside of you, U carry a solution to the people of the world. Look beyond this country (Providing solution to people problem).

Work on being, not on having, Use what you have to get what you want.

Have a glorious day.

Tanddy

Well bro with God all thing are possible, most also all things worketh together for those that love God, In everything u do put God first and also thing positive always and prayed hard cos in this country is prayer things are too hard just the grace of God that makes man too survive, and if u ave not accept JESUS, Accept Jesus Today cos that is the only way to success very soon thing will change,

My dear man, the only thing i can say is be strong and hold on, The enemy will annd can steal your joy if you allow him to, A job will come that will probably be beyond your wildest expectations, God is able to do more than we expect him to becsue he is a ''more God'', Pray,seek a church that preaches the word undiluted and joing a department int he church, you will be able to develop your potential through that and move on to bigger things.Many pple dont realize that God made us to exist within his love nad not outside it, we can only discover our potential whe we are in Him.
Just keep praying, in the meantime,il help out by sending u vacancies i come across online, il even help you with your curriculum vitae, can you send it to my box?, damele2000@yahoo.com, keep ur head up!!

Just to let u kno that u are not the only one bro.Just keep improving urself, there is hope.

@poster, check your email

goodluck

Dear poster,


I would not sympathise with your situation so as not encourage self-pity. The folks doing this are not helping you. Do not be discouraged. Believe in yourself and what you can do to help yourself. Look inwards, and you will see plenty of needs you can meet.
Someone has said it that you should read; please read widely and voraciously. It helps. Rather than sitting in the corner of your house waiting for an angel to drop a bag of manna on you, take time to read. Your focus on making it in life will totally change. Search the net for a copy of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. I have a soft copy but the size is beyond the limit allowed for upload here.

Debrief your mind from the wrong notion of no connection no job in Nigeria. It is not totally correct. I graduated in the early nineties; started my job hunt from the Labour office. In those days, businesses that need young graduates but could not pay an average graduate pay go there to drop their vacancy list. Have you tried finding out if offices like this exist or you are still nursing the notion of waiting for a godfather? IF you keep whining of when your late father will wake up to come help you, I wonder when that would be. Blaming your uncles for not willing to assist you would do you no good.
Please look around you, there are lots of needs to meet. Children of wealthy neighbours need evening coaching by responsible individuals. Are you one? Some companies need sales reps to distribute their products; do you fit the profile.

In your church or mosque; are there things you can do to showcase your skills and competencies; a small volunteer work like training the youth could get you the “publicity” needed to clinch more lucrative jobs. Learn from the poster named “Slaughter” above. I assume by typing your post here you can use the computer and can also type. There are millions who could not use the computer but would wish to and are ready to pay handsomely for the service; with a second hand computer, you can organise a "short course on computer appreciation" for folks around your neighbourhood. Where are you?

Lastly, demystify the devil. It is not in all cases that the devil is at work and at the same time, be prayerful for God's favour when you have done your bit. From my experience in the last couple of years, the quality of up to 85% of the CV's I get regularly is always very poor. The mindset of an average recruiter is to pick the best candidate in terms of CV presentation and quality before they even see the face or talk to you to see what you are made of; what is the quality of your CV like? Imagine 5 people are to be recruited in a company, 5,000 applied and 2,000 meet all the requirements. Out of these 2,000, 85% (1,700) as I mentioned above sent poorly prepared CV; do you think a recruiter would waste his/her time on those? Do you belong to the 1,700 group or the final 300?

If you explore yourself and see what you can do, there are several other skills in you beyond your BSc that can put more than daily bread on your table. Six months time, you will be here to testify.

Please check!

@ oga seun,
good job sir for putting this on the front page.

@ op,
let's know how it goes with the moves made by peeps here already. Everyday's loaded with opportunities and changes are bound to occur. probably slowly, but certainly.

cheers!

BadestBOBO:

My brotha, from a fellow Akokite, e go better.
I consider myself unemployed right now even tho am 'managing' in a private coy that an uncle had to call in favors to get me. I get paid 25k monthly. A whole Engineer. They said I should at least keep busy.
I've been unemployed 6 months counting from end NYSC but am heavily disadvantaged as some of my mates have secured high-paying jobs in oil, some are about completing their M.sc's from foreign Uni's- and me? I still dey hustle.
If there is a God, e go better. If there is no God, e go still better.
All said, I believe in the power of Positive thinking. Things in the country may be falling apart, but am gon handle my business- one way or another.

BinghiNya:

Bros,

No be only you dey that mess. I finished service in 2002 December but i have never worked long in a good coy. I lost my last Job last November in questionable circumstance and getting another has proven herculean. My girl even left me in this period. Just keep trying God will crown it soon.

I feel for you guys, no one deserves to live like this, I have sent a mail the poster on a possible way out that am working on. If you guys want to hear about it just get in touch with me at akpoefe@yahoo.com. Much respect and admiration!

@poster, sorry about the stress.

Some ideas:

1. Wash Cars: In Victoria Island, Lagos, there are hundreds of thousands of cars whose owners do not have a driver. Go to a company and offer to wash their cars for a low rate. It convenient for the guys who could allow you come three times a week to do that. You may end up washing for the whole company. During an entire morning you'd have done and be through. You have the whole afternoon to yourself.

What is more, other companies nearby may need your service and you have a full day's job.

200N per car x 10 cars = N2,000.

2. Use your mobile phone for a call centre.

3. Take items to sell in Victoria Island - office to office. There's something win-win about this: the convenience of having goods come to you will make many professionals patronize you.

Just some ideas and hoping they'll help.

May God be with you!

This is not a sad tale. How come you went to impregnate one girl when you did not have a steady job abi you use winch? Have you tried the government sector for work? Are you employable? Most of our graduates have their eye up up but yet cannot deliver in the office even with their 2/1 and 1st class. Ask them to take simple minutes of meeting and you won't believe the result. As for office politics which you call god fatherism etc, its every where.