By Idris Rufai
Welcome to Nigeria, where young people are highly educated, professionally qualified and, unfortunately, increasingly experienced in the art of waiting for employment.
Every year, universities and polytechnics produce thousands of graduates who leave their institutions with certificates in their hands, knowledge in their heads and hope in their hearts. However, many soon discover that obtaining an academic qualification does not necessarily translate into securing a job. For some, their certificates become more useful for framing than for gaining employment.
Nigeria appears to have perfected the production of graduates without creating sufficient opportunities to absorb them into the workforce. While young people continue to acquire degrees, diplomas and professional qualifications, employment opportunities remain difficult to access. Perhaps the country should consider introducing a university course titled B.Sc. in Waiting for Government Employment.
As another batch of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members prepares to begin their orientation camp activities, one important question deserves national attention: Why should graduates spend years acquiring education, complete their national service and still return to the streets in search of employment without a clear pathway to economic independence?
I strongly believe the government should consider introducing a structured post-NYSC employment policy that gives eligible corps members a fair opportunity to secure employment after completing their service year.
Under such a policy, federal and state governments could establish employment partnerships with ministries, agencies, public institutions and private organisations. Graduates who demonstrate commitment, discipline and competence during their service year could be considered for available vacancies, preferably within their states of service or other locations where opportunities exist.
This should not necessarily mean automatic employment without consideration of qualifications, performance or available vacancies. Rather, it should be a deliberate policy that prioritises qualified former corps members when suitable opportunities arise.
After all, national service is designed to promote patriotism, national integration, discipline and service to the country. It is only reasonable that the experience gained during that period should also provide a meaningful pathway towards economic participation.
I believe introducing such a policy could help reduce unemployment, strengthen the transition from education to the labour market and restore young people’s confidence in the value of education.
There is also a growing need to reconsider the age requirements attached to certain government employment opportunities, particularly in uniformed services and other public institutions.
It is painful to see graduates who have spent years pursuing their education become ineligible for certain employment opportunities simply because they have crossed the prescribed age limit. Some young people spend additional years pursuing higher qualifications, completing compulsory national service or facing circumstances beyond their control before becoming available for employment.
Should years spent acquiring education become a disadvantage when seeking employment?
Government should review restrictive age requirements where appropriate and consider extending the maximum age limit to 30 years for eligible recruitment categories, subject to professional, medical and operational requirements. Such a review could give more qualified graduates a fair opportunity to compete for available positions.
Beyond government recruitment, unemployment cannot be addressed through recruitment promises alone. Whenever the problem becomes too obvious, another familiar solution emerges: an empowerment programme, a distribution ceremony and photographs of young people receiving sewing machines, motorcycles, farming equipment and other materials.
But what happens after the cameras leave?
Empowerment should not become a temporary ceremony where beneficiaries receive items today only to return to unemployment tomorrow. Although such interventions can be useful, they must be supported by proper training, access to markets, business financing, mentorship and continuous monitoring.
Nigeria possesses enormous agricultural resources, mineral deposits, tourism opportunities and a youthful population. These resources can generate employment if supported by serious investment, functional infrastructure, vocational education and policies that encourage businesses and industries to grow.
The private sector must also be recognised as an important partner in tackling unemployment. Government cannot employ every graduate, but it can create an enabling environment where businesses expand, industries operate effectively and entrepreneurs employ more people.
Most importantly, education should not become a source of disappointment for the Nigerian child. We must change the growing narrative that “last last, school na scam.” Education should remain a meaningful investment in knowledge, personal development and national progress, not a journey that leaves graduates wondering whether their years of sacrifice were worthwhile.
It is particularly painful to see young people dedicate their lives to education, acquire professional skills and obtain the necessary qualifications, only to spend several years moving from one employment opportunity to another without success. Some eventually settle for jobs unrelated to their qualifications, while others are pushed into irregular labour and petty trading simply to survive. Many also migrate to bigger cities in search of opportunities, leaving their communities without the contributions they could have made.
Nigeria must begin to rethink its approach to education, national service and employment. Producing graduates without creating opportunities for them is not a sustainable development strategy.
The government should therefore consider a comprehensive post-NYSC employment framework, review restrictive recruitment age requirements and invest in sectors capable of creating sustainable jobs.
A country that encourages its young people to study must also be prepared to create an economy where their knowledge and skills can be put to use.
The real measure of educational development should not be how many graduates our institutions produce annually, but also how effectively society creates opportunities for those graduates to contribute to national development.
Nigeria must stop being a factory that produces graduates for unemployment. It is time to turn certificates into opportunities, skills into productivity and education into a meaningful pathway to a better future.
– Idris Rufai
idrisrufai744@gmail.com
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