 Where are the jobs? Nigeria's inability to engage a large proportion of youth, meaningfully through job creation as a potential for social dislocation. The dire unemployment situation many graduates and those with advanced education in the country face is a cost for national concern. Every academic year, university and polytechnics admit close to 2 million students and produce about 600,000 graduates. According to the research done by the student team, it was discovered that 58.9% of HND graduates are unemployed. 49.55% of OND graduates are unemployed and 39.75% of BSE holders are unemployed. Also in the discovery, 22.58% of Nigeria women are largely unemployed, which is relatively more than the percentage of unemployment in Nigeria. This is worrisome as it is translated to bogging youthful energetic unemployment population with no contribution to the economic growth of the country. In reality, both the government and private sector cannot fix the rate of unemployment. At best, they can only create an enabling environment for people with ideas to thrive. For the past couple of years, Nigerians have been sold lies by those unfortunately in government. The Thai will provide jobs. No government can provide jobs. Actually, if we check the structure of Nigeria from British rule, colonial rule, the colonial masters came to institutions or they came to build institutions. In the process of building institutions, they reached out to young Nigerians, trained them, employed them to work for this system. Eventually, when Nigeria became a sovereign state, they continued building more systems, which they tried. So the government was more of the largest employer of liberal rights at that time. But now there is a new dispensation, where in the new era things have changed. If you are relying on the government to provide jobs, it is not realistic. The government just need to provide an enabling environment so that job creators and work creators could work. On that note, I will have to argue and shift a little bit in this agreement with what you said. The colonial master came just like you said. That's fine. However, the societal acceptance ability of this education system is mad. That's what I would say. And the reason being, they actually came knowing that they need development. So you want to construct, you need engineers. Let me see the engineer precisely to construct. You know that people who are constructing also, we need safety, health. You go to medicine. You know that you need accountability, they speak accountant. You understand. Now, you see law because there will be disagreements in business. So you have lawyers. These are the key professions that weren't their operational activity at that moment. But what do we see, our parents? Our parents are a problem in the education system on employment. I can say that because they now build children. They did that profession to solve problems. Here we are following something that is already solved, kind of. Is it really solved? I would tell you why I said it's solved. Now, we already know that we need these engineers and stuff like that. But they now made these jobs, these professions, the professional ones and say they are the preferred choice. Every other profession, they are not preferred. Meaning why the society has grown beyond just small level of profession. You understand. On every 1000 applicants, you have 800 going for this. Then you now have the remaining 200 going for the most important ones. Because I tell you, I give you an example in medicine. You see scientists, they do blood tests. A doctor cannot administer or give you anything if he doesn't have a test report. Who are the ones doing that? Scientists. But these laboratory sciences are people you look down on. I will call my late dad. For me, I think we actually have a system that is actually not productive. Because it's not built in a sense to solve problems. It's just built in a sense to say, go and recreate another set of people like this. Other than that, we don't even have practical tools. 80% of Nigerian universities or institutions do not have practical tools. Sometimes when you see a mechanical engineer, he cannot repair his own car. Do you understand? So this is where the problem is. 80% of Nigerians are gathered and unemployed. A common excel, Microsoft tools that you use to do your reporting. All those kind of the business reports. All these things people don't know. I give you an example of someone who was given a jump opportunity. All these key way. Like quantity survey rather. You know they do their line up and write all those kind of things. Can you do this thing on excel? You said there is no job. This person has job opportunity to even transport yourself from Mokini to Abuja. You said I don't have transport sphere. No responsibility. So it's not you get. Now you get there. They ask you that can you make use of excel because the world is technology. It's going technology now. You said I don't know. You know without conscience. You don't even feel bad. That you don't know. I don't know. So by the time you interview a lot of people, you come down and ask them where is the job. You are not even employable. A first class graduate is not employable. In a lot of cases because they come and pop. They are not there to solve a problem. Until we have a system of education that is completely overall. We start solving problems and say if you want to admit because we need, we are building a nation. We need social number of set up. Then we are making provision for people to come and study this course. So they fill in the gap. We need social number of lawyers because we have a lot of cases that way. We are feeling, do you understand? It has to be purposeful. That's where I see the problem. You are right in one instance. But it doesn't have to be always in that format. Let me give you an example. Look at what is happening in the UK now. Are you aware that the UK government ending of last year, that's in December. Early December they announced that Nigeria, Ghana, I think some other African country they added like few other African countries too. Some countries they already had that they are looking for teachers. Initially it was doctors at NOSIS. Are you aware that our teachers now, they didn't even say you must have education degree. If you went to the university and you can teach maths, English or business, just apply. And just show them proof that you've thought maybe for one or two years when you come over to teach your education and then you teach how to teach. And I'm like, oh, but this is the same teaching that many people are rejecting it. Just like I said, it's not about government providing job. It's about government knowing the purpose of the job they are providing. So they see that there is a Nakuna in their country and there is need for this set of people, set of skill, right? And they are calling for it. Can you say category category Nigeria? Can we have a termality that we need so-so number of teachers here? We need so-so number of doctors here? Do you understand what I'm saying? It has to be purpose degree. But let's look at this embarrassing situation here. Remember what happened, was it last two years? First of all, you know when he was pride in the world, the world government is going to provide job. He said he provides. Was this a 100,000 job? What kind of thing actually? It's a number of things. It was called to the local government. Yeah, whole and whole class, right? Okay, I think I have a bit of a different perspective to what you guys have said. I think when it comes to employment, yeah, probably from just two sides. Most graduates are not employable. However, if you look at it, I think sometimes it's not about just what it's called a job. I think we need to look at things from this angle. Yes, we have agreed that both government and the private sector, the banks and all of that cannot really give us the number of job when you look at the number of graduates being produced every year. Mind you, we should not take also focus from our view from also the people that are not even graduates, but they are old enough and able men who can do other things even though they are not graduates. Now, the point is this, if you look at the last topic, taking responsibility, I think when it comes to graduate that are not employable, we may want to blame the university system. But if you blame the university system, it means that we are still going to excuse people for not taking responsibility for their own lives. But what we are looking at is, I have been recruiting since 2013, so I think I have a fair share of when I interview people what it's like. So you see people, I don't have a job, I finished service three years ago. What have you been doing? Nothing. Value system. So I think people need to understand that government cannot give you all the job. Not everybody will get opportunity to work in a sales bank, not everybody will get opportunity to work with a sales bank. But once people learn that the best way to find the job is to create their own jobs and give their sales jobs, they won't understand. I remember when I graduated, what I was doing, I told myself, look, I don't have a job right now, but what I'm going to do is this. So long people go to work, leave the house by 6 a.m., I'm going to give myself a job, and what was that job? I was reading, trying to find my feet in my area of interest, reading, researching every day. And the good thing is that when opportunity comes, I was supposed to be an intern for six months, three months they say I'm good enough to become an associate consultant. That was not a fluke, that was not a miracle. It's because somebody took responsibility to prepare ahead. So I think people need to understand that look, when there is no job in quotes, the kind of job you are looking for, or you don't have that job right now, your ability to look around and create something for yourself. Because I was speaking with a young guy a few days ago, and I said, look, you keep saying you don't have a job, you don't have a job, what are you going to do? What are you going to do? I can give a story of someone that is an award-winning, presidential award-winning photographer right now in Nigeria, when he was looking for different jobs and all of that. And I said, guy, what do you want to do? And he said, I currently do graphic design, but I want to do photography along with it. I want to become a media guru. And I said, so what is holding you back? And he said, funds, I can't get camera, I don't know where to get trained. I said, no, when you look at the scheme of setting up a business, fund is not number one, it's probably number five or six. And I said, okay, so how much do you need to learn? He said, I don't know, I need to find out. I said, you can see that the problem has not been found. It has not actually gone ahead out of your way to look for what is required in that space that you want to manage. So guess what? Two weeks later, he was able to find out. And I said, okay, how much do you need? $150,000. And guess what? $150,000 sounds like a lot of money, which it is. But the point is, if you take $2,000 away from $150,000, it becomes $148,000. I said, if you keep getting that, you'll be able to afford this. I can tell you right now, he's a residential award-winning photographer and he's doing well for himself. So people need to begin to look beyond government, beyond the MTN you want to work for, beyond the Owandos you want to work for and create a niche for yourself. He gets to a point, you get so good in what you are doing, you don't look for these companies anymore, they look for you. But you know, your point is valid, you and Huzin. But you cannot take the fact that enabling the environment needed to be created. Let me give you an example. We know what happened during NSAS where the youth were trying to speak their mind and the only way to punish us then was to ban Bitcoin. That is a policy, a blue to fintech. Those guys that were, you know, some of the software, let me go to this tech guy, let me give you an example. Do you know that there is some software you need to buy to function as a tech guy or wherever you are? Even if you are not a tech guy, you just want to use technology, incorporate it in whatever thing you are doing and there are some softwares or some books or some items you need to get online to help you solve problems here. You need to buy with your MasterCard. Unfortunately, there is no dollar available. You cannot purchase with your MasterCard. You have to look for somebody abroad to buy for you. Some of these policies are, in a way, key genus. I don't believe governments can give you anything. Like all these guys coming to can be. I don't think I said to be. They will not give you jack. Like I said, I said, what government and the corporate setting cannot guarantee you a job at best. But policies. But I think if you look at our country as a whole where we are, as a nation right now, you don't want to, while you're praying and hoping that the best of an embryo environment will be created, you don't want to make excuses because the point that I'll tell you is that if you count five, ten people that are making it in your sector, you ask yourself what is stopping you. They are working in the same environment. So it has to do with your own intentionality, your mindset of creating an environment within the environment you find yourself. Thank you. So just to add to what both of you have said. You see, it's both back to take responsibility. The policy will give an example. Budget it. Budget it. I don't know maybe budget stuff. This guy started as an individual. He invested in himself, gathered data, analysed all the data, tell my experience and tell us this is what it is. If the government is doing this, this is at the impact, if we don't take this and this guy was giving an opportunity because yes, he was telling the government that they are not doing things that I expected based on the figures you can see. But he was giving an opportunity. But in listening to Banter, he resigned. Exactly. So you see, we need to take responsibility, forget social media at a point. Yes, you go against the government and government says you come. Once they give you that opportunity, you just need a window to change things. You see, we have a system where people grow from step one, level one, grade one, all those kind of things. And these people, they are rigid because they are not exposed to the technology that we are exposed to. These are the people who are making policies for us. And that is when they make a policy, you have to shout, go back and review because it doesn't work. They make policies that work within their own system. Just like what he said, All about taking responsibility, investing in yourself and trying to solve a problem. I for once not think of working for anybody. But I invested in myself, any opportunity I have, I keep investing in myself and building, getting necessary information to solve these problems. Guess what? I had the opportunity to sit down with an upcoming startup FinTech. Within 45 minutes, I offered myself to solve a problem. The person said no. I said I want partnership because I have never worked for anybody. The person said no. You have to come in. You have to start this work. And guess what? I was even offered an open check. Name your salary. Tell me how much you want to start with. My first page job, I was giving that please can you manage 300,000 naira for a first page job. So it looks like wow. Because I have invested myself, I didn't even see the money. I am looking at the solution I want to provide. And I know gradually if I provide the solution I will hear more. So I did not look for a job. The job actually came looking for me. I paid for it. Another thing I would like to add to that is I may not mention the industry or the particular trade because a lot of Nigerians when you mention pure water business everybody will go that direction. So another thing I can say to people is you must be aware of your environment. There are opportunities. There are no jobs but there are opportunities. There are jobs because as an HR professional I know what it is. Sometimes for me to recruit a customer service person I am not looking for somebody with experience. I am just looking with someone with common sense. Someone who is put. Will power. Now a lot of people will say the reason I have not started this business is because I do not have money. I will give you a story of a lady who used to be our front-decks officer. This lady when she finished she was supervising the cleaners to clean the office and all of that. She sits on her laptop and begins to check for different items online. And when she gets see those items she will post it on her WhatsApp status. Guess what? When he posted people will say how much do you sell it? Now when he noticed that people were there was traction what he did was to go to the wholesale and say look I want to be helping you to sell this product. Guess what? So she will take pictures of the available stock they have and she will advertise it on her. She has not become an online shop. Before you know what? Without money. Without money. Without money. Without product. Without money. Without money. And people began to order and she will be restocking. Now she has her own store. And I am telling you I am not talking about store of two million era. She is doing well now. So now we can look at all the negative side of the country we can complete all we want. Exactly. But the truth is the way out of this we are the job is to create a job for yourself. Sure. I believe so much in that. But you know because of the benefit of the coming election we just cannot help to emphasize the importance of stakeholders meet. Let me give you an example what I mean. You cannot want to create a policy that will affect young people and you don't want to have meetings with young people. This some presidential candidate find it difficult to speak to media and you don't find it difficult to engage different stakeholders different demographic. Let me hold your talk. So you see the plane is down. A lot of people will tell you this coming election this person will win this person will win this person will win. Now I don't even have issues who is going to win who is not going to win. Exactly. Because it impacts. Exactly. Now what I see is this whether we like it or not there's been a shift the youth have been getting more interested interested in what Apple. So now I don't see if the National Assembly comes to play and they say they are doing open year in for a particular policy. People would hold back like they used to do before. We just hear that a policy has been passed in Tola and all of that. Right now I see people who are ready to go and debate the issue. This is really so we just have to keep taking charge we should be responsible as young people for our future. Thank you very much my fellow advocates. The end always seem to come too soon on the advocate. However the advocacy continues on our social media platforms. On Facebook plus TV Africa hashtag the advocate ng or on Twitter and Instagram at plus TV Africa hashtag the advocate ng to catch up with previous broadcasts go to plus TV Africa dot com forward slash the advocate ng don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel plus TV Africa but in next week same time on this station let's keep advocating for a better society bye for now and happy new year.