You are in your twenties or mid thirties and you are tired of all that you are going through. It took 2 years to get your first job - your one and only job - but you lost it during the recession last year. The job you lost is a classic example of being underemployed, because you were paid a little above the minimum wage. But you took it so that you'd wake up every morning with a sense of purpose as you know millions would kill to have the job. Deep down, this isn't the life you thought you'd be living at this age. While growing up, you had audacious goals and ensured you had good grades up until you left the university/polytechnic. But now, it seems your drive, energy and past achievements are worthless.

You have asked yourself several times what Nigeria has really done for you. Yet you still hang in there.

The older generation says the youths of nowadays are lazy but you know you are not. You apply to 50 job postings everyday, attend free vocational training programmes whenever they pop up on your feed and you're even willing to volunteer for companies in your desired industry. But all these have not yielded any fruit. You started a small buying and selling business that got killed by last year's naira-dollar exchange rate. And now it seems as though you are losing your passion to do anything, you have lost your mojo - the drive that you once had has fizzled out. Most times you are broke. You need money to get some things but you are tired of having to ask your parents every single time and you don't want to border your friends because you know they also don't have enough to share. There are times you find yourself alone, moody and sad, thinking of what else you can do to live your dreams. Its even worse when you are physically challenged because, really, people will never know what you go through EVERY SINGLE DAY! All you want to do is break lose from this shackle of stagnancy and live a good life.

And you have asked yourself several times what Nigeria has really done for you. Yet you still hang in there.

You are depressed because you're stuck. It seems you're the only one not making progress in life. You have sought for help from family and friends to no avail. You have prayed and fasted. All you do now is watch football matches and spend these depressing times on social media. Your confidence level has plummeted. You're now the joke in your neighbourhood and you find it really difficult to go out sometimes. So you stay indoors wrestling with suicidal thoughts. You have thrown out all sense of hope: the hope that you had upon getting your degree, the hope that you'd get married at a particular age, the hope that you'd be able to help your young ones as they're in school, the hope that you'd repay your parents for all they've done for you - especially your single mother who gave all for your education, the hope that you'd be who you've always wanted to be. You're psychologically overwhelmed and you just want to throw in the towel and end it all.

And you have asked yourself several times what has Nigeria done for you in all these to help solve your problem. Yet you hang in there.

So what can you do?

...to be continued in Part 2.

Link: https://medium.com/@Frawzey/letter-to-the-unemployed-nigerian-part-1-28932768792f

Nice piece!!! it should be on fp, we are tired of sex dolls... wedding MC

cc lalasticlala seun mynd44

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The story looks personal, abi na O.P dy talk about himself?

Niz write up, op.

May be difficult to realise but this country called Nigeria is not helping the youths, the children of the rich have it all planned out for them, the likes of DJ Cuppy and Adenuga son etc. but what about Musa the son of a farmer and trader. The West have gone a long way and their government try to make sure the field is a level playing one. I can only tell Nigerian youths not to lose hope, if you can, get out of this "shithole" but if you cannot focus on how to develop yourself..."Yourself" and be determined. The country does not think of her future...youths are that future.

Nice Letter OP

Continue pls... It's touching