The youth and joblessness: Nigeria’s enigma

Sadly, with the economic crisis in Nigeria, a country long plagued by bifurcated economy, unemployment among all ages, particularly the youth unemployment has reached an alarming rate. Pope Francis’ address fittingly applies to today’s predicament of the country’s chronically unemployed, the youth and those holding degrees in various fields who are desperately seeking for a job to eke out a living.

Most young people in Nigeria are chronically unemployed, meaning that they have been out of work or they have never found a job after graduation for several years. Still, some are grossly underemployed, meaning that they are working in an environment that requires less skills and are severely underpaid. For the purpose of this piece, Joblessness or unemployment is the dearth of employment for the young people who have acquired the necessary skills and capacity to perform the job.

Besides facing chronic unemployment, as well as severe underemployment, Nigerian youth are facing a phenomenon in Nigeria that has dangerously become the norm. This norm has permeated the society is shamelessly practiced in both private and public sectors. This is what I would call forced labor or modernized slave labor, which does not require a policy or security guards to force people to work just like in the labor camps in the past. But the modern day forced labor seems to achieve precisely what was achieved in the labor camps, free labor. In this modernized situation, people voluntarily go to work and work for several months without paychecks. The expectations of receiving arrears in a foreseeable future and the apparent lack of alternatives, forced the employees to stay with employers that owing them several months of salary. This could be likened to the modern day slavery, as well.

Similarly, this is a disguised slavery called employment — a situation where employers owe their employees several months without payment. The employees would not have any recourse; they are caught in a catch-22 — a situation where they cannot leave their present employer for fear of not getting another job and they fret over suing their employers for job security. The fear is understandable in a society with an abysmal job outlook. These employees are hamstrung as they are caught between a rock and hard place — hopelessness.

Young people salivate for any job regardless of being paid every month or not. They want the pride and joy of holding a job, but that illusion is far from reality. The joblessness is pervasive in the country. On my way to Nigeria a month ago, I met a guy whose daughter finished her education in London some time ago and came back to Nigeria. Up till now his daughter has not found a job. His story is not an exception; it is a recurring one. In every family, the sad tale is being told daily with intense frustrations. My nieces and nephews are still unemployed after graduating some years past. Some of them have gone back to pursue master’s degrees. On completion, the jobs are still scarce to find.

Talking with Chibuike Odunze, a recent graduate of FUTO, he narrated with utter disappointment, “As great many Nigerian youths are entering higher institutions every year, an equivalent number is graduating at the same time only to be frustrated by the bleak job market.” He warned, “The future of Nigeria and its development depends on the youth, the Nigerian policymakers and politicians are denying our country its beauty by neglecting the youths and purposely denying them employment.” Odunze opined, “Now we are in a country where employed persons are owned five to eight months of arrears by the government which has made it normal for the private sector to owe their employees months of salary without any recourse.”