After Graduation And One Year Of Service, What’s Next? -By Mukhtar Garba Kobi

Education is one of the vital legacies which responsible parents give their children, it helps in differentiating right from wrong, transacting wisely with others, living harmoniously in communities and more importantly how best to worship Almighty God. In Nigeria today, Primary and Secondary schools are the only stages of education a person pass through without spending much but higher institutions are gradually becoming unaffordable as tuition fees are increased beyond earning of common citizens. Those that have graduated from those institutions and accomplished compulsory one year of service are roaming around without tangible jobs, acquiring skill is as important as water to human body. Absence of other sources of income is adding fuel to the fire of bribery and corruptions, thuggery and separatist agitations, banditry and kidnappings as well as ritual killings.

There are huge number of graduates that could not endure carrying their credentials to different agencies or ministries seeking for jobs, they chose to learn skills and become their own bosses. Skills therefore increase employment opportunities, standardize lives and crime reduction in communities. A self employed person has every right to stay at home and relax as he or she wishes without being questioned by any higher authority. Year-in-year-out thousands of students graduate from secondary schools and higher institutions of learning, more than 60% of them search for greener pastures through working in air-conditioned offices, earning huge amounts on monthly basis and enjoying life to the fullest; these fantasies are no more as getting governments’ works has turned to like looking for water in deserts under scorching sun.

Some people have basic requirements to occupy positions and contribute to the advancement of the country but the venom of ‘Who You Know, Who Knows You’ has exacerbated the situations rather than bringing succor. Skills help people to have better resources and financial managements, improved strategic planning and curtail crises in organizations as the skilled persons garnered bunch of experiences. In order to reduce the rate of unemployment and total reliance on government’s works, in 1987 National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was established; the directorate was mandated to deal with rising trend of unemployment through training people in various skills. An idle graduate tends to stimulates nothing but negative thoughts and ways to be rich in shortest time, those thoughts are stimulants to evil works.

In the same vein, many successful businessmen and women whose names are heard globally are self-employed, their efforts are line with a proverb which says ‘One at hand is better than Two in the bush’, meaning that skill that generates money for you daily is better than certificate you are going here and there with seeking for lucrative jobs. Student that was trained in one or more skills find it hard to totally rely on parents for some amounts before doing assignments, it also help him or her purchase gadgets like phones, laptops, etc that makes learning easy. Majority of perpetrators of crimes engage in them due to their idleness, skills have the capabilities of making such youths responsible and view crimes as undignified acts no matter how much they could be gaining.

Students and Corps members enrollment in learning skills while studying or in service would definitely reduce the burdens that parents bear, they would become independents, pay fees and buy assets by themselves without parents’ interventions. Whatever a person desired to wear, eat or acquire all could be possible if he or she is self-employed, both students and serving Corpers need skills in order to minimize absolute reliance on others. Nowadays if you want to succeed, find alternatives of income no matter how little you might be getting, labour markets are so congested with many applications and the vacancies there are not up to one third of the huge population of job seekers. It is better to get your hands dirty and make your pocket heavy than wearing clean attires and begging little amount from same hawkers you laughed at.

One do not need to be advised as people in our localities with Diplomas, Degrees or Masters that do not have jobs are countless, skills acquisition therefore should be made compulsory subject to senior secondary schools students and in tertiary institutions and items necessary for trainings should be provided by governments. Technical and vocational devices, machines and tools needed for the work after learning skills should be giving out free of charge; this would inspire others to enroll and become beneficiaries too. Regular supervision to the trained persons that were given tools is paramount, it is to sure judicious use of items and anyone found selling them should be dealt with. Government still finding it hard to employ everyone but training 7 out 10 unemployed graduates and corps members could drastically reduce joblessness as those trained would at the end influence the remaining 3 to be productive.

Mukhtar writes from Bauchi and can be reached via garbakobim@gmail.com