By Maria Famakinwa

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Oyeniyi Dada, a 28-year-old graduate of Economics who has not been able to get a job despite finishing university with good grades, is one of the millions of underemployed of Nigeria’s failing attempts to curb unemployment. In order to survive, he has engaged in menial jobs where he earn less than what a Corps member earns per month.

He said: “After my mandatory youth service in 2018, I was unable to get a job. Now I do menial jobs where I get N22,000 monthly to at least take care of myself, even if I can’t take care of my parents yet,” he said.

Dada’s experience currently depicts the plight of some graduates earning less than corp members in a month as some of the affected graduates who spoke with The Hope disclosed that they have to stick to their current jobs while  still hopeful for  better offers.

Another graduate of Business Administration, from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Emmanuel Olulakin, who worked as an attendant at a supermarket in Akure for two years earning N28,000 per month before he was relieved of the job complained bitterly that living has not been easy for him.

The 33-year-old Olulakin lamented that even though he was earning less than N33,000 which a corp member gets per month, he was managing it until the owner sacked him and two other graduates working at the place due to low sales.

His words: “After my NYSC in 2010, I searched for a job for about three years. When I did not get any, I was advised to apply to public school as a PTA teacher that I might be lucky to be converted to full time teacher. I did this for three years and left when they told me that they could no longer continue with the N23,000 monthly salary I was placed on. It was then I got a job as supermarket attendant through the help of my sister where I was paid N28,000 per month before I was disengaged. I was surprised to know that the two other workers I met at the same supermarket were also graduates who took up the job because they could not get better offer. Unfortunately, we were all sacked the same day because the owner complained of poor sales. What I do now is organising private tutorials for interested students. Though not enough but better than nothing.” 

 The story was not different in the case of Adebisi Adeoye, a Food Technology graduate, who was among the first set of Npower initiative of the Federal Government to reduce graduates unemployment. He revealed that he lost a  well paid job from a private company because he felt the Npower programme would absorbe him after the two years contract.

Her words: “The only regret I have is not taking up that job I got from a private company, thinking that Npower being a Federal Government initiative to reduce graduates’ unemployment in the country would give us permanent employment. I am presently managing in a private company as a marketer where I earn N30,000 monthly. What do I do when I searched everywhere for a job but got none? I had to take up the N30, 000 job but I know this is not my final destination. I will keep searching for a better job and I know it will come,” she said.

Also, a graduate of Physics, Oluyemi Bamigboye, who taught for two years in a private school said that he quitted the job when his health could no longer stand the stress. The 28-year-old revealed that he was made to teach three subjects with a total of 32 periods per week which affected his health negatively. “I was employed to teach Physics and Mathematics. Later, they added Further Maths with just N27,000 per month.

“I complained to the management and they promised to employ a teacher who would take Further Math  which they never did. Another discouraging aspect was that you don’t get your salary until 15th of the next month, despite the fact that I must get to work latest by 7.30am to avoid deduction of my salary. I had to quit and look for something else. If Corp members are earning N33,000 per month, why can’t any private organization pay that to a graduate and even pay more? Skillful youths will continue to move out of the country in droves if unemployment remains  unresolved.”

Another graduate who earns less than  Corps Member, Oluwatoyin Oke, said that she always felt unhappy not being able to care for her parents who laboured to train her to university level. “Most times, I apologize to my parents because I can’t take care of them. They sent me to school and I am supposed to be paying back now, but it is quite unfortunate I’m unable to do so now.

“Thankfully, my siblings are better paid where they are working, so my parents get some stipends from them. But as the last child and only female, I ought to also care for my parents while they are still alive. Earning N25,000 as a receptionist is not enough to care for my parents. I would have rejected  the job but my parents advised me to take it up so that I can be going out instead of staying idle at home. Besides, it is a stone throw to my house otherwise, I would have turned it down. Some of my friends who work in Lagos even said I was lucky to have gotten a job of N25,000 per month beside my house because some of them whose monthly salaries are close to N80,000 spend more than half of it on transportation aside feeding and stress.

“Life is difficult. Sometimes I ask myself why I went to school to end up with a job that even secondary school leavers could do. It is quite ridiculous and embarrassing. I can’t even take care of myself not to talk of catering for the needs of my parents. I wish I get a better offer soon to actualise my dreams,” she said.

Another graduate of seven years, Ayoade Sarafa, who earns his living by marketing health products for a particular company, lamented that life has not been fair to him. He wondered why he was so unlucky among his three friends that graduated the same year.

He asked: “Why is life so unfair to me among the three of us who are friends and graduated together? I took up this marketing job based on my sister’s advice when my situation was leading to depression. According to the nature of the job, your payment depends on what you sell per week. How can a graduate of Accounting be living like a pauper? Out of the three of my friends that we graduated same year, it seems that I am the unlucky one because the two of them are working with good companies. Though, they are helping me but it is not like having my own good job.

“My sister who is currently serving is earning better than me. The highest I have been paid for a month since I started the marketing job over a year ago was N18,600. This is very frustrating and the major reason some youths are taking to crime and internet fraud. I will continue with what I am doing till I get a good offer because I can’t engage in any criminal act,” he said.