THE NIGERIAN YOUTH AND THE MENACE OF UNEMPLOYMENT

It was a pitiful sight at the premises of the Supreme Court complex in Abuja today, which houses the office of the National Judicial Service Commission. Over 3000 unemployed youths gathered there in response to the advert placement by the National Judicial Service Commission for various vacant positions.

The multitude of graduates stood for hours under the blazing sun for an opportunity to pick up the application forms despite the abject lack of organisation, fairness and total disdain for Nigerian graduates. A microcosm of what happens in the larger society was apparent as clear cases of favoritism was the experience of these innocent but frustrated job seekers. Staffs of the commission were there to ensure those they knew bypassed all set protocols to obtain the forms while subjecting "the unknowns" through stressful conditions.

Several angry applicants who waited under the blazing sun wondered why the recruitment process was not put online to save them the hassle of coming all the way to Abuja just to pick up the application forms, especially with such dismal preparations for the process which has been ongoing for weeks. They recounted tales of how the recruitment process was just a formality to "fulfill all righteousness" as they were aware of persons who had already obtained employment and resumed official duties last month for this particular recruitment process.
 
They wondered why they had to be subjected to this psychological torture just to get applications forms of which employment was not even guaranteed as high ranking public officials have already filled up a large percentage of the available vacancies by "slots" allotted to them. Things got to a head and erupted in chaos when a staff of the commission made the mistake of physically assaulting a job seeker. His saving grace was the cool headed members of the crowd - he would have been mobbed. This little altercation disrupted the process that was shabbily organized to begin with.

This little experience is the reality of the unemployed in Nigeria. Graduates are spewed out of our Universities yearly without any significant attempt by government to alleviate the issue of high unemployment rate. They are compulsorily required to waste a year of their lives serving a nation that has no plans for their future or even interested in providing an enabling environment.

Adding this to the mind-boggling corruption and thievery uncovered everyday in the government and the civil service, one is forced to wonder if there is any hope for the youths who are the highly touted "leaders of tomorrow". 

Naija, na so we go dey dey?! 

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Engage on twitter @saymalcolm