So there I was, rolling on the bed around 2am on a Sunday morning. I had just finished watching the movie Never Back Down (for the third time I think) and for some reason, sleep wasn’t coming. My thoughts began to drift. From setting more effective goals, to building more confidence, to thinking back at some challenges I’ve faced, etc. The thoughts kept pouring in, unfiltered. As I kept thinking and reminiscing, I remembered a discussing I had with my friends a while back in school. In particular, I remember an opinion I had back then about the average Nigerian graduate.

I remembered telling my friends back in school that the average Nigerian graduate has a sense of “entitlement” rather than a sense of “responsibility”. I’ll explain what I mean in a bit. Back then in school, and I’m sure most of you in school will be familiar with this sort of statement, most people I met would tell me that once they finish with a grade of Second Class Upper, or First Class, they should start earning 200k and above (the price tag might have gone up right now), and work with oil companies, big telecoms, etc. From the way I see that type of statement, it is a sense of entitlement.

Unlike most of us think, or would have us believe, the average Nigerian graduate isn’t that lazy. If he/she was lazy, he/she wouldn’t have burned the midnight candle in school, slept in wooden chairs and desks during exams, and done all he can to bag a ‘B’ or an ‘A' in the respective course (not that he’ll remember anything about the course afterward, but you get my point). To me, I don’t see that as a sign of laziness. In fact, that is really hard work, and that sure isn’t easy. But how come after putting all the hard work and coming out with a first class, all we now say is we “deserve” to start earning big like it’s our entitlement just because we have a first class?

To put this in perspective, let me explain the other side of the coin. The sense of responsibility which we don’t have. Imagine if after putting all the hard work and coming out with a First Class or Second Class Upper, we do not think that we are entitled to start earning big bucks, but instead we begin to carry some responsibilities on our shoulders? (By responsibility I don’t mean financial responsibility of our younger ones or family, what I mean is social responsibility). What if an Electronic and Electrical Engineering First Class graduate wasn’t thinking of companies he is entitled to, or the minimum salary someone of his calibre can take, but instead starts using his knowledge to solve problems in his immediate environment or beyond? What if such graduate begins to feel the responsibility of solving Nigeria’s power problems on his shoulders?

There’s this popular saying “Knowledge is power”. And there’s this other saying “With more power comes more responsibility”. If we combine both sayings, we can therefore say that with more knowledge comes more responsibility. So my question is how come the Nigerian graduate is feeling entitled to earn big, and not feeling responsible for not making a difference with his acquired knowledge?

H