I read on a thread today how someone was asking if there was hope after getting a 2:2. Some people responded that it was not the end of the world, etc etc and i chuckled slightly. If someone in Nigeria could afford to go to a Nigerian University, endure 4 years of feeding and studying and graduate with a 2:2 are hoping for grace to succeed, how much more those that did not go to university at all. But that was the irony of it all. those that did not go to university are actually making more money and doing better than those that went to university. Talk about Igbo men making money across major markets in Nigeria or self made Yoruba market women selling commodities worth millions without the ability to speak English or Hausa FX Exchangers. Limit yourself at your own risk.


The biggest irony is that while education is supposed to open the minds of a person to the horizons of possibility in life, it has practically closed the eyes of most Nigerian Youths. The only thought is to graduate with a 2:1 or 1st class and automatically get a job in a brewery or something. Unfortunately it does not work like that. Those working at the brewery do not want to resign. There are thousands of graduates with the same 2:1 looking for the same jobs. It's a continuous circle. But things are not supposed to be as complicated.

Your certificate and your grade as a plus, is just a piece of paper stating that you have a needed skill that an employer needs desperately for his own business to survive. If you cannot offer this missing link, even if you have a first class, your degree is as good as useless. Understand that first.

So check your course. Personally, I think if you are not in the health sciences, or engineering to some extent, you have a slim chance of getting any good job except you are very lucky. If you are looking for a job where your only contribution is to prepare excel sheets, nobody will employ you. If you can convince any employer that YOU and only YOU can make money or add desperately needed value to his company, you will be hired in a minute.


I will give a free example to this. If you saw a big secondary school with lots of school buses and you observe that the buses spoil frequently and the school pay mechanics a lot of money to fix the buses, and it happens that you know how to fix cars, if you apply for a job as a school mechanic and show the school owner how you are the cheaper and better option, you will be employed immediately, whether you studied fishery or not.

So, young Nigerians need to shelve the idea of hiding behind certificates, it was never meant for you to work with. BSCs are not to make money. They are to expand your mind as an adult in a specific field of life.

Moving on to how Young people can conquer poverty, I believe that there are three things that young people can start to do to break the chain of poverty in Nigeria.

1. Enter Informal Markets: The Informal Market in Nigeria is the highest employer of labour that a lot of our survival as a country is based on. Road transportation in Nigeria, which makes billions every single day is entirely in the hands of the informal system. Uneducated men with very poor customer service are mostly in charge of the transport system and that is just one example. Farming and Food Distribution, Community Security, Waste Disposal, Fish Processing, Meat Processing, etc. The idea is to simply look for an already available market, check for its weaknesses, improve those weaknesses with your education, deliver and make money.
NB: Agriculture is simply the way forward. Netherlands made 90 billion euros from agriculture alone in 2017. Nigeria did not make close to that in all earnings in the same year. And there are more people in Lagos than in Netherlands.

2. Start Small Scale Manufacturing: This one may be a little harder given the capital and infrastructural deficits but it can be rewarding. Wick Making, Palm Oil Processing, Nylon Production, Leather Processing, Roof Making, Pillow Making, Paper Manufacturing and Recycling and so much more can really make a lot of money. These are products Nigerians buy everyday. China makes so much money from us due to these products. Use online resources. Watch youtube. Find easily manufactured goods. Start small and sell. Leave all the chin-chin, cake and liquid soap businesses in the bin. They are already overcrowded and not really needed. Find ones that are needed everyday and not yet saturated. E.G salt. Find how salt is made, make it, package and start to promote.

3. Enter Politics (Or At least be Interested): At the end of the day, after all is said and done, politics still control the policies that will control how you will make money. Politics control if you will be able to access bank loans or if you will be able to have electricity to power your business. So, drop the childish mentality of not being interested in politics. Vote. Listen to the news. Be interested in who your LGA Chairman is. Know your DPO. Organise meetings and conferences for young people in your area and if you can change things, contest.


Finally, always remember that Agriculture is the fastest means to raise a lot of people from poverty. It is confirmed worldwide. A food sufficient country is one who can start to think of tech. Hungry people don't invent. Also remember that creating value in the area people are most desperate for, isa killer. Think Education, Clothing, Transportation, etc. Also know that more can easily achieve compared to one. Look for other people and partner with them. Look for investors too. it will help you and shun the idea that there is no money in Nigeria. There is money but you will only attract what you believe. Shalom!

Thanks

Lala. Ps move to front page Asap

Wise word.