My dad practised HR for most of his working life. He tells me a lot about stuff he learned by interacting with people as a HR person, over the course of his working life. He says there are two myths about Nigerians:

1. That they are very intelligent: My dad thinks this is a lie. He believes Nigerians are mostly tough talkers, and can talk their way into anything.

2. That they are very hardworking: My dad also thinks this one is a fallacy. He believes we are only 'mouth' workers, and hardly focus on what we are hired to do.

What do you guys think, Nairalanders?

AjanleKoko:

My dad practised HR for most of his working life. He tells me a lot about stuff he learned by interacting with people as a HR person, over the course of his working life. He says there are two myths about Nigerians:

1. That they are very intelligent: My dad thinks this is a lie. He believes Nigerians are mostly tough talkers, and can talk their way into anything.

2. That they are very hardworking: My dad also thinks this one is a fallacy. He believes we are only 'mouth' workers, and hardly focus on what we are hired to do.

What do you guys think, Nairalanders?

in some ways, i'm inclined to agree with this

this is more prevalent in corporate Nigeria, where bs is more difficult to detect and you can blame your subordinates for your incompetence.

i have had ogas who, when i first met them, was intimidated, but after a while, i got to see it was what they call ogboju - a variant on a scott adams joke if u knew albert Einstein and he suddenly became twice as smart, you would't know the difference

basically, if u know .5% of a subject, and i know 5% i an form guru on your head.

i see this happening a lot. sometimes one just politely nods when oga blathers knowledgeably about computer advancements with pcs now using 512 mb of ram. or this time when some dude was talking about how he worked on a uk banks atm project change mgt with users - and i realised he must be refercing an old case study, as this guy was a fresh mba, and atms are old hat in the uk.

from an engineering perspective anyway. when you find yourself arguing with your bosses over what they should know at their level , you know there is something wrong.

As long as degree certificates equates to higher level of Intelligence in an average Nigerian's eyes then your dad is far away from the truth

^^^

you forgot to add certifications

bang on point bro

^^


Seriously, I am just coming in from an IDC seminar. Som guy is presenting an IT topic, and he apparently doesn't know how how to use Powerpoint . Someone who is a top exec in a Fortune 5 company? Nigerian guy though.

I have an Indian guy that keeps telling me we have a poor talent pool in Nigeria and outside. This guy has worked all over the world, and he says he has met Nigerians in every field of IT. I always write him off to bad bellicks, but  . . . wetin dey?

hahhahahahah
I've actually read somewhere about a top US exec that didn't know how to work PP. Are we talking about the same person? Sagamite might be able to help out with the dude's name.

I think our adaptability skills can surely help us attain smartness credit but as for being skilled I'd seriously doubt that cos most of our workers aren't exposed to latest technologies at early stages of their education/career.

This person na Nigerian.

You're right on the foundation part though; corporate Nigeria is very poor at providing the right training base, and equipping workers with the right skills. The absurd thing is, there's no reason for this, as corporate Nigeria has a lot of MNCs, who should be enjoying best-of-breed everything.

On another note though, I'm known to hate blaming government for every mishaps but truth be told that they basically don't empower the youth.
we have governments that believe everything foreign is better. They need to empower the average Nigerians.
They need to encourage by setting up research institutes (maybe through PPP) and embrace local made innovations/goods.

As smart and skilled as the companies that employ them really

The way i see it nigerian companies rarely train their staff or develop new graduates through.
seems they expect everyone with a degree and certificate to be able to do anything or do everything after three months

Maybe if companies invest more in training or putting together a through graduate programme, mid-management programmes and so on

It seems there's always someone brought from outside to join in with the latest degree going
and the working environment in many workplace is disgusting everything is politics, favouritism and FEAR!

na only observation o no experience

y'all are right, i think it's cause we've become caught up with the superficial stuff: certificates, degrees etc and so we just assume people to be competent simply because some pieces of paper hint at such.

and then of course, there's the almighty patronage. . .promoting people because of where they're from and who they know, the system runs more on patronage than most things.

i once heard about how people join the state civil service, rise up the ranks(much faster than normal/sensible) and then transfer their service to the federal civil service and are made perm secs and directors and so carry their inefficiency to a higher level. I mean, just look at the people we have making laws for us, some of them can barely string proper sentences together. . .

the thing dey tire person o. . .esp when you're just starting out, there are so few people to look up to.

I think Nigerians just do the minimum to get by.

They don't push themselves and if they see others going the extra mile, they taunt them asking if it's their father's work.

I'm usually not impressed by our workforce.

At some point (maybe it has always been there, at least that's what my dad thinks!), we lost any desire to do or be excellent.
It's now basically a cat and mouse nation; everybody is either a crook, opportunist, cynic, or hypocrite. The far-sighted, bright Nigerians, usually ask for nothing, and always get nothing but trouble for their efforts.

Just to point out that the Nigerian worker and the individual Nigerian are two different folk! I very much doubt if the Nigerian worker is as skilled as they are led to believe. If you have had the opportunity of interacting with a Nigerian worker that have come to the UK for a Master's degree course/training you would truly feel sorry for the Nigerian Economy!

Some people here have suggested that Nigeria government/ Nigerian companies do not train their workers, hence the reason for the dart of skilled Nigerian worker. BUT I beg to disagree with the school of thought! As some one who works with a Fortune 100 company in the western world, from my own experience, you are never asked by the company to go on training, rather you have to select the training you need in line with your career/aspirations and you make recommendations to the HR department. Although I also understand in some companies the procedure differs but by and large, it is the individual worker that indicates the areas that requires upgrading. Ask the Nigerian worker what skills/training He/She needs, she would be thinking of the perks that goes with the training!

Finally, let me just say this: It is not enough to be skilled, as being skilled won't put a dime on your plate, utilizing your skills is what really counts at the end of the day.

I'm inclined to agree with the first poster. Take alook at some of our workers (i'll pick the bankers); many of them go around marketing stuff they have no clue about (especially the ladies- sorry). Even if the bank hasn't trained you enough, many of these marketers studied related fields (accounting, bus admin, economics etc) and yet cannot take the time to educate themselves on the new banking products etc, but they will have time to go outside and look at clothes that a friend is selling in the boot of her car

Also look at our graduates! I've seen an accounting graduate who couldn't seperate accounting transactions into debit and credit to create a trial balance!!

The problem is that our society has become so corrupt and lacking in values that being smart and skilled has little or nothing to do with how successful you can become, so no one sees the need to invest in being smart/skilled. We have the dumbest people in our national assembly, many girls sustain themselves in banking by sleeping with men to get access to deposits (I used to be a banker so i know these things), or sleep with top management to stay relevant within the bank, students bribe lecturers to pass exams and so on,

After careful thought I wouldn't agree or disagree because I would liken the situation to an electric circuit. You would not know what it contains until you make a demand. Yes I agree that there is very little creativity, hard work and knowledge but there is very little demand for it. The entire country is run by government for the government thus the government sets standards for all production from education through industry to commerce.Can we name one business interest, one company, one firm that sources 100% of its income from real international competitive business practices. Or one corporate business magnate who has no ties whatsoever past or present from Government. Our fortune 500 is all government from banks, insurance, accounting, construction, engineering, telecommunications, health, everything.

I met a doctor recently working in private practice and complaining about the conditions of service. My argument was, "look how can you not make money when there will never be a shortage of illnesses and diseases and that the key to out gunning your competition was ideas". Do what others are failing to do. Focus on the mass market, take your practice to the people. Forget the huge buildings, expensive consultations and state of the art equipment and rather set up a system of first responders to catch people before they fall for "on the bus consultants", "Dr Buruj" - pardon me, or the typical "chemist and nurse". But no, the fellow's focus was rather government and how the private sector could catch up with the recent salary increases or go bust.

So government in a nutshell controls businesses we least anticipate and influences ideas and work ethics in ways we least expect. It is one of the reasons corruption abides, the public sector remains very attractive and productivity is low. This culture of allocation and contracts must be stopped at all costs. If we as a society are ready to live by our means, i.e use the rubbish Aba made shoes, to discard our limos for our legs, to ignore our airports (you know what I mean), discard what we cannot afford and make use of what we have (not Shell oil) then difficulty will generate hard work, ideas and enterprise. Permit me to be a bit practical here.

The reason easterners are the most dexterous in development is simply because they have had the roughest ride in this country. Germany has to be industrialized because they needed it to survive against a dozen countries in WWII. I am not saying that we must fight to develop, but the degree of challenges we face and absorb the better our position to develop. We must reject palliatives and stop the false hope our government continually preaches. We must stop them dictating the way we live and how we conduct our business. Anything short of a peaceful revolution is a waste of time. Nigeria and Nigerians cannot get better this way.

Nice topic.
I think it is an individual thing. It is not enough to generalize but for each person to think deep and ask a personal question - Do I know my stuff and can I be relevant outside the local scene? Erosion of values in the country contributes so much to the way people think. Imagine a father advising his son to get employment in a federal government parastatal because of the kickbacks so prevalent there.
But there are still many Nigerians who have the spirit of excellence even in the midst of rot. I have worked outside Nigeria and my objective is always to leave a lasting impression as a value-adding team member wherever I found myself. I know others doing same but the bad eggs are there too. What we need to also understand is that most times, it is not always about the skill but attitude. I believe that skills can open doors for u, but attitude will keep you there.

To close this, even on this forum, I can attest to the level of professionalism of 1 person at the minimum. Ajanlekoko is on top of the list . And the last time I checked, he is Nigerian and there are many more like him I have had the opportunity to work with.

Permit me to describe what I mean by palliatives. The recent Niger-Delta conflict is a test case. One would have expected Nigerians at large to come up with solid ideas on how the entire society can be rebuilt our own way, ie. how we can use the little we have to put people to work. But if you have nothing for them to do how can you generate ideas, how can you sustain hard work. That region lacks everything, but government in its wisdom jumps at infrastructure because it can award inflated contracts and enrich Indians, Lebanese, and all manner of corrupted individuals while remaining in control. Where are the people of the region. The lucky ones get a stipend, are sent to a skills acq. school to learn trades and then what, What does the government, society or Nigeria at large demand from them, nothing. So they are more proficient in weaponology, dexterous in swampology and by the way produce low grade fuel from refining crude. Aha, but wait, where are the petro-chemists amongst them.

No, no, no. We don't want individuals refining oil. That is for government alone. Come to Aso rock and collect money instead to be quiet. Go to bed. This is the Nigerian model of development.

AjanleKoko:

^^


Seriously, I am just coming in from an IDC seminar. Som guy is presenting an IT topic, and he apparently doesn't know how how to use Powerpoint . Someone who is a top exec in a Fortune 5 company? Nigerian guy though.

I have an Indian guy that keeps telling me we have a poor talent pool in Nigeria and outside. [b]This guy has worked all over the world, and he says he has met Nigerians in every field of IT. [/b]I always write him off to bad bellicks, but  . . . wetin dey?

This is actually very common among older workers as they tend to shy away from technology. The slides were probably prepared by his assistant or slides from someone else’s old presentation. Old timers usually don’t want to be bothered with technology and only want to know enough to get their job done. Just tell them where to click …

The Indian guy is probably right about the poor talent pool within Nigeria because Nigeria only recently had the industry to absorb and develop its talent. Before, we mostly relied on foreigners for the brains to keep Nitel, Nepa and the oil industries running. However, I think he’s somewhat mistaken about Nigerians abroad who have gone through the same training/experience as their colleagues. What he might be alluding to is what you had touched on earlier about Nigerians being able to talk themselves into anything. It is possible that Nigerians talked themselves into technical positions that require experience they lacked.

First of, the reason companies and recruiters must fall on certificates when filling positions is merely because there are no other options to use. What is however implied is that the possessor of a certificate should be capable of what its content represent, which is often not the case.
Frankly, the reason why this is not the case has to do with the country's educational system. Yes, that's the problem, "the educational system"
It isn't just that it's bad. That's not enough, and isn't even important. It's more the way education is administered.
I just finished school some months ago and had to watch years long how one could easily pass or score A's without having to know sh.it about a course; again, how the lecturers would come to class and not demonstrate to the student what they need to know to be sufficiently well off.
Among my many engineering classmates were people who would have done better (and I mean far better) as educated artisans, university teachers, administrators, etc. Some people think they should find this out themselves and follow it. I believe it's the duty of the educational system to inform them of this and help them follow it.
I pray we correct this soon, for as long as this continues, and students can easily scramble a good score without knowing, Nigeria should remain in this state.
One only needs to look at Germany's educational system to tell why it's such an industrialized country. This is an educational system that immediately hands an individual its future and place in society as early as age 12-13. We should learn!

Reference:

….Can we name one business interest, one company, one firm that sources 100% of its income from real international competitive business practices. Or one corporate business magnate who has no ties whatsoever past or present from Government. Our fortune 500 is all government from banks, insurance, accounting, construction, engineering, telecommunications, health, everything.

I think it will be a while before Nigeria can compete in the free market. The government needs to strategically foster policies in business sectors that we have inherent competitive advantage in. The only way a business sector could develop in Nigeria and compete internationally is to nurture it through infancy by policies that shield it from international competition. There is no way an “amateur” will be able to compete with a “world class professional athlete.”  One has to give the talented amateur chance to grow and hone his skills.

Reference: The reason easterners are the most dexterous in development is simply because they have had the roughest ride in this country. Germany has to be industrialized because they needed it to survive against a dozen countries in WWII.

Necessity is the mother of all invention. Nigeria has been in need for a while and it is only a matter of time, given the right environment, for Nigerians to rise to the occasion.

hayo:

Nice topic.
I think it is an individual thing. It is not enough to generalize but for each person to think deep and ask a personal question - Do I know my stuff and can I be relevant outside the local scene? Erosion of values in the country contributes so much to the way people think. Imagine a father advising his son to get employment in a federal government parastatal because of the kickbacks so prevalent there.
But there are still many Nigerians who have the spirit of excellence even in the midst of rot. I have worked outside Nigeria and my objective is always to leave a lasting impression as a value-adding team member wherever I found myself. I know others doing same but the bad eggs are there too. What we need to also understand is that most times, it is not always about the skill but attitude. I believe that skills can open doors for u, but attitude will keep you there.

To close this, even on this forum, I can attest to the level of professionalism of 1 person at the minimum. Ajanlekoko is on top of the list . And the last time I checked, he is Nigerian and there are many more like him I have had the opportunity to work with.

+1
I know this doesn’t sound right but I never knew a Nigerian that schooled and worked in Nigeria could be so forward looking and insightful. I was so impressed that I had to meet him.

I think most Nigerians are smart workers but are not skilled enough and this is caused by lack of technological know how where we're lagging behind.The craze 4 degrees n certification,and come to think of it,the man/woman that was suppose to be ur mentor isn't skilled too,therefore the rut wil continue down the line.
Even our presidents,lawmakers,e.t.c aren't skilled,so when the root is bad it'll affect other areas of a tree.

The craze 4 degrees n certification

This is becoming a thumping ground, with an increasingly negative association.

The relentless pursuit of certifications has it's foundations in a lack of a credible
educational system in Nigeria, with the limited opportunities pursued by a large, young competitive population. Not to add the absence of long term, strategic planning in the areas of entrepreneurship and infrastructural provisioning that only serves to compound the 'certification siege' mentalilty we display.

No doubt in the long run, as an enabling environment ensues, continous professional development through certification and further education should result a net positive gain to our economy.

AjanleKoko:

My dad practised HR for most of his working life. He tells me a lot about stuff he learned by interacting with people as a HR person, over the course of his working life. He says there are two myths about Nigerians:

1. That they are very intelligent: My dad thinks this is a lie. He believes Nigerians are mostly tough talkers, and can talk their way into anything.

2. That they are very hardworking: My dad also thinks this one is a fallacy. He believes we are only 'mouth' workers, and hardly focus on what we are hired to do.

What do you guys think, Nairalanders?

Your Dad got it a 100%

Majority are very unskilled, unsmart and also impolite if i might add.
They are better at local intelligence and decieving others.
also good at ways of blaming someone else and doing as little as possible.
i despise them.
monkeys

AjanleKoko:

My dad practised HR for most of his working life. He tells me a lot about stuff he learned by interacting with people as a HR person, over the course of his working life. He says there are two myths about Nigerians:
1. That they are very intelligent: My dad thinks this is a lie. He believes Nigerians are mostly tough talkers, and can talk their way into anything.
2. That they are very hardworking: My dad also thinks this one is a fallacy. He believes we are only 'mouth' workers, and hardly focus on what we are hired to do.
What do you guys think, Nairalanders?

Actually your dad is 100% correct. Personally I have found that too many Nigerians like to talk loudly and boisterously about issues which they know next to nothing about. There is actually a high degree of ignorance thanks to  the poor reading culture.
Yes the average Nigerian worker can spend a lot of time in his office or workshop. But how much time is actually devoted to chatting as opposed to working?
The Chinese and the Indians have a much stronger work ethic in my opinion.

I don't think it is government or Mother Nature or anything. I think basically we are simply not blessed with many smart and forward-looking people, period. Only the lowest of people in Nigeria, and people in villages, exhibit a sense of creativity, fairness, and equity. I think our interaction with the whites have left us worse off, without a soul of our own, and with a feeling of desperation. The bad behaviour is most prevalent between us educated city-types. Sambo-Mlambo House Negroes.

Like it or not, our so-called smartest are usually more cunning and diabolical than anything else. I like that term 'local intelligence'. Me and my friends like to use another term, 'countryman intelligence'. That's the Naija type of intelligence. Thanks, hackney, though I strongly object to your use of the term 'monkeys' to describe Nigerians.

Below is an attempt to reproduce a typical day of someone I know in the office:

You have a professional discussion with your boss. Defined a business process, workshopped the whole thing with stakeholders, carefully mapped it with best practices in consideration (you actually have a professional qualification in that business area!). Everything looks very good.

You now take it to your boss. Somehow he feels he needs to make some modifications to what you did, so he starts to pick holes in what you did. You professionally counter all his objections  . . .  and he starts getting angry, he controls it but you can feel the seething. You now decide to add insult to injury and unwittingly ask him if there is a problem with you offering your professional opinion. Oops.

Or:

Your boss sends you a strategic review done by one of those high-powered consultants. You review and send back in bullet points your analysis. He calls you, reads out what what you wrote in your presence, like he was trying to memorize it (he's actually going for a meeting and needs to say something). You try to explain in layman's English what you just wrote . . . and he stops you dead. It's okay, he says. He understands everything you wrote. Ah, well . . .

Obviously your boss hates your guts, it appears. And you need to seriously watch your back. Any opportunity to bury a pick-axe in it, he won't hesitate. Eventually smart people always get the pickaxe in their backs in Nigeria.

AjanleKoko:

I don't think it is government or Mother Nature or anything. I think basically we are simply not blessed with many smart and forward-looking people, period. Like it or not, our so-called smartest are usually more cunning and diabolical than anything else. I like that term 'local intelligence'. Me and my friends like to use another term, 'countryman intelligence'. That's the Naija type of intelligence. Thanks, hackney, though I strongly object to your use of the term 'monkeys' to describe Nigerians.

Certainly there are strong cultural factors at play there. In traditional Nigerian culture , for some reason, acting like a fraudster or rent-seeker is something that is actually commended and admired.

There is also the bluster and bravado in talking which is caused by the way they were brought up. This might is right philosophy as opposed to actually trying to reason and explain things to your subordinate or ward. This is in sharp contrast to Western culture.

So no it is not smartness or intelligence but devilish cunning and trickery.

tensor777:

Certainly there are strong cultural factors at play there. In traditional Nigerian culture , for some reason, acting like a fraudster or rent-seeker is something that is actually commended and admired.

There is also the bluster and bravado in talking which is caused by the way they were brought up. This might is right philosophy as opposed to actually trying to reason and explain things to your subordinate or ward. This is in sharp contrast to Western culture.

So no it is not smartness or intelligence but devilish cunning and trickery.

That is so so wrong. In the olden days in Yorubaland. You don't have to be present in the market to sell your goods. You only need to put the number of cowries beside your wares representing the price. Customers then come, put the exact amount and take the goods away. Our ancestors were very serious about truth and fairness. That is why most of their gods were used to punish evildoers. So it is not a cultural thing but an evolution that came as a result of the erosion of our values. I find it interesting to discover that a hunter who sleeps with the wife of another hunter signs his own death warrant. That was the nobility that existed in the olden days.

I recently read Wole Soyinka's second autobiography - You must set forth at dawn. The revelations were mind boggling, some of them most people knew about from beer palour banters. Who would ever think that the first census figure in Nigeria was doctored by the British to favor the North in the first elections. The first election was also rigged. This is not an attempt to put all the blame on our teachers as Fela calls the British who taught us nonsense according to him. But, a wake up call that we should stop thinking that the Oyinbos are saints, a lot of the nonsense happening in our country is traceable to them even when they keep coming across as saints. Imagine if IBB n the other thieves don't have Switzerland to keep the loots? Imagine if d US disgraces them by revoking visas n seizing their loots?

Finally, most of these funny bosses were once subordinates. Just like juniors in high school, where many promise not to maltreat juniors when they become seniors. But we all know the end of the story. My advise is that those of us talking now should decide to do better when they get to that level. Conscious decisions to keep getting better at our jobs, treat subordinates with respect and be incorruptible. I don't think it is a lost battle but it is possible to evolve new thinking with people at our level if we want to.

tensor777:

Certainly there are strong cultural factors at play there. In traditional Nigerian culture , for some reason, acting like a fraudster or rent-seeker is something that is actually commended and admired.

There is also the bluster and bravado in talking which is caused by the way they were brought up. This might is right philosophy as opposed to actually trying to reason  and explain things to your subordinate or ward. This is in sharp contrast to Western culture.

So no it is not smartness or intelligence but devilish cunning and trickery.

Are you referring to the 'ijapa' stories?
I beg to differ to some extent. I went to school in a village setting, and I found the people more honest, altruistic, and hardworking than the 'city slickers'. They didn't act poor or needy, they just went to the farm and went about their normal business.
They were clean, and kept life simple. None of that blind avarice.

hayo:

That is so so wrong. In the olden days in Yorubaland. You don't have to be present in the market to sell your goods. You only need to put the number of cowries beside your wares representing the price. Customers then come, put the exact amount and take the goods away. Our ancestors were very serious about truth and fairness.

Honestly I don't know what you are on about there. Maybe you are mixing up doing what is right because it is the right and proper thing to do and doing the right thing just to avoid harsh punishment. This leads to the might-is-right philosophy and the idea of being cunning and deceitful if you can get away with it.

There is also a culture of oppression which is certainly not the case in Western countries. {You can say that the oppresive behaviour at boarding schools mirrors that in the wider society}

On the other hand, in Europe even the lowliest worker is treated with respect and dignity and parents actually take the time to explain things to their kids and answer all their questions as opposed to just blustering. This has a salutary effect on cognitive intelligence and received wisdom.

AjanleKoko:

Are you referring to the 'ijapa' stories?
I beg to differ to some extent. I went to school in a village setting, and I found the people more honest, altruistic, and hardworking than the 'city slickers'. They didn't act poor or needy, they just went to the farm and went about their normal business.
They were clean, and kept life simple. None of that blind avarice.

Yes it is remarkable that in traditional African folklore, the more cunning the toroise is the more admired and successful he tends to be.
However we are not talking about the behaviour of the peasant farmer or petty trader here but rather those who wield some kind of power even at the local level.
People like the local king, chiefs, councillors, chief-priests, village headmasters, etc, etc.