Education is Exposure, Exposure is Education, But the Nigerian Graduate is Lost
Muideen Oladayo Abubakar
Muideen is an economics graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria
My Aphorism
Guy, there are jobs and there are jobs out there, they may just be hard to get! This used to be my recurring soliloquy in my latter days at university as I give nods in affirmation. I came to the realization of this quick enough, which gingered my hunting for opportunities and made me ubiquitous. But not every student would have such spirit.
On Saturday, 14th of April
I was at the career fair organized by the Covenant Capital and the turnout of employers corroborated my soliloquy. Of course with unemployment at 18.8% and the humongous quantum of graduates tossed out yearly, one would expect to see a forceful flow of job seekers (not when you also consider those who were also there to change jobs). I had envisaged a gathering dominated by fresh graduates, but what struck my attention was that much older folks stole the show (at a point I thought of the possibility of sighting my parents too. LOL).
Why the Lopsidedness?
One major reason for attending a school is to be informed (about almost everything), the information gets you exposed as you make efforts to act on them, and in turn get educated. But the Nigerian (under)grads are misplaced since the information is elusive.
One reason for the skewed turnout in such gathering is that only a pinch of Nigerian tertiary institutions have come to the understanding that getting their students exposed is indeed part of the education process. An ideal schooling system should make meaningful efforts to bridge the employment gap, hence, making its products a reflection of the 21st century graduate.
Secondly, many Nigerian students turned graduate have been subjected to the hangover from the ‘just my books’ mentality. A strict focus on one’s academics is good, but it is only a means to an end and not an end in itself. This has left many graduates in the trauma of not knowing what exactly to do after school (and as I witnessed yesterday, what some candidates could do best was to gallivant from one employer to another, rather than have a focus on firms in a particular industry). So when you hear that there is a number of first class grads without jobs, not preparing for after school, hence, oblivious of what to do is part of the reason.
Lastly, there is a dearth of foresight, thoughtfulness and innovation among student leaders in our institutions. While holding a leadership position of my department back then in school, my team did something similar and got some students internships. But ideas of this kind are hardly found among the leadership of Nigerian students. I think if the authorities of our government owned schools have proven to be less responsible in this regard, leaders of student bodies should do well to organize career fairs like this as a way of investing in their people.
What can be done?
If the mountain will not come to Muhammed, then Muhammed must go the mountain. One, if no institution would not take charge of properly exposing their students as a means of dispensing further value to education, you should remember that your success is your responsibility and as Warren buffet says, “there’s one investment that surpasses all others, invest in yourself”
Secondly, more of this can be launched by from NGOs and career development institutions with focus on undergrads and fresh graduates.
Lastly, we could have some companies in Nigeria do something similar (even if of lesser version), as a way of giving back. ACCA held something similar this year, and as a campus ambassador of @BAML for two years, I also led about 300 students of my school to BAML’s Open Day and guys go from there to get internships in London. Firms in Nigeria can do the same!
Thanks for reading, you can share to help someone.
Subscribe to JarusHub for more articles on careers
[subscribe2]
