EMMAWAD

The little I know about Nigeria is what others say about her; overpopulated, corrupt, dirty, poverty stricken, underdeveloped, a debtor, diabolic, dubious, etc. Definitely, your father and my mother would have mentioned one of the cited above. Is there anything new under Nigeria? Will she ever change to our concept of a great nation? Imagine your children responding to these questions. What do you think their reactions would be?  Would there be compatriots left of them? Would Nigeria be able to call for them to even obey? How would they show love to their fatherland by then? They might not even be familiar with any of their heroes past not to mention their labor. What would be the concept of freedom then when its meaning at the moment is meaningless? Do you even think peace and unity won’t be assessed by the “escape from Naija” spirit? If we do not even comprehend our noble cause how would God direct us? I mean, He can only guide those who don’t want to be misgu...

THE EGYPTIAN OR ME? On my way back from a lucky-less interview I met an Egyptian man asking for directions to a pot shop close by. He had on this sorry look like a man who had just lost his job. When I think of it now, I think it was because I thought we shared a mutual feeling that was why I even stopped to listen to him. “I look for pot shop close here. You know?” He asked. At first I could hardly understand him until I noticed he was holding a photo of the pot shop in his hands. I pointed towards the direction, telling him the easiest way to get there. Suddenly, this short movie became annoying when this sun-tanned chubby looking man asked for my almost-emptied bottle of water. That bottle of water was my first meal, friend and companion after my horrific interview- an interview that I was made to wait for hours only to be told that the boss had traveled and won’t be back any time soon. That bottle of water helped me hide my tears as I drank it while I struggled with m...

THE AGBO SELLER In the heart of Lagos market we find hustlers, buyers, fraudsters, beggars, alabarus (load carriers), you name them. Everyone is trying to solve a pressing need or want by hook or by crook and one of these is Olawunmi Jejeniwa the Agbo Seller (Herbal Medicine).  “I learnt the agbo business from my late father when we were still in Ibadan; that was some 15 to 20 years ago. Being a family business, my father also learnt from his father and so the generational tree bears more fruits because already two, of my three children, are well informed about the healing business. I survived a fire accident and I must mention that it was a terrible experience. I would have died if it wasn’t for my herbal knowledge. I knew what to apply on time and that is why you can hardly notice the burns. They are right here on my hands and even my chest (Giggles). I do not know what or how my life would have turned out if I had not taken full interest in learning this ...

How I couldn’t land a part-time job, what I learnt after and how it may help you secure a job For anyone seeking employment, it is essential to know how to impress an employer. It could be through preparation; knowledge of the employer’s pain points and showing that you are suited to take on the job and much more. You could consider the humble lessons I learnt about securing a job through my loss.  It was my HND One first semester. I had zero expectations of funds from anywhere but I needed to fend for myself and my sisters. This was one of the most difficult periods of my life. And I wanted to rescue myself with my skills and passion by getting a part-time job. With my average writing and designing skills, I was production manager and designer of YABATECH Mass Communication students’ newspaper and magazine. I had experience in designing, using designing computer applications. So I naturally gravitated towards securing creative jobs.  Soon after, I reconne...

THE ROADSIDE MECHANIC My brain was never interested in school work. Sometimes I wish I had listened to my father and many other relatives who wanted me to have an education. I remember getting flogged constantly in school for failing one subject or the other. I honestly tried my best but it never was good enough.  SO I TOOK TO MY FATHER’S ADVICE: “Okoro, since you no wan go school, oya go learn handwork.” Being a mechanic like other jobs, is not easy. The curiosity I have for it however makes it interesting and I try to improve myself every day. I started my apprenticeship in 2005, at the age of 18. Ah! I suffered during those years. Frequently my Oga would ask me: “Okoro, you sure say you get head for this work? No come waste your time here o…” But I kept on for five years amidst all the setbacks, insults and discouragement from many people around me then. Now I am my own Oga! For me, speaking and trying to convince my customers tends to be one of the difficult as...

I was weighing 43 at that time. It was not easy balancing school with work. But I needed money. The money my parents were sending was not covering up my needs. I needed a backup and that was why I took a job at an African restaurant, owned by a Nigerian couple back then in London. Jobs like this were reserved for students or for the undocumented. I could not babysit because the timing would clash with my class hours and that was why I settled with washing plates in this restaurant after classes.  I had done this for a week and could notice my fingers fading away but I didn’t mind at all. All I pictured was my monthly pay. The next week; on a Wednesday, after classes I resumed work as usual. I had washed the first round of plates and then I heard the voice of my boss (the wife) saying: “Favour, you will be the one pounding yam from today. It is part of your job description…”  That voice echoed in my head and it still does till today. It echoed when I nodded in ag...

WORK EXPERIENCE Many jobs out there want people with experiences even at the beginning of their jobs and there are opportunities for these in school which is during your IT and during your holidays. Many people get to understand this later. Like I got this understanding after I attended a career seminar and this was after I had already graduated from school. I found out that I could have actually gained some experience working as a student during my holidays. Now it may not matter much to me because I’m a doctor but I think it would matter to those who studied other courses. Apart from that, many of our youths still have the mentality of “go to school, get good grades, good jobs are out there” and that’s a problem that needs to be demystified from their minds. Rather, people need to start looking out for what they want to become right from their school days. Now, going back to the government and the employers; because of course it’s a two way thing, the problem of this country is s...

WOULD YOU SELL FOOD AS A GRADUATE JUST TO SURVIVE? My name is Prisca, a graduate of Biological Sciences with a second class upper division and I want to share my job hunting experience just after I was done with service.  I was desperately looking for a job so I kept applying and going for every interview I was called for.   I went for an interview not quite long ago. It was a sales manager position advertised online. I saw this as an opportunity to meet new people and be more outspoken and to network. So I applied; forwarded my CV. Afterwards I got a mail from them saying that out of the 50 people who applied for the job, I was opportune to have been selected. This made me very happy and I didn’t mind borrowing money to go for the interview at Ojota. When I got to the location I was not sure it was the right address even though I could clearly see the house number.   I asked a lady; just to be convinced, about an interview taking place there and she replied...

 SHADES OF KINDNESS That woman. One would have called her a bully with such body structure. You could tell she hailed from the Niger Delta region, she had the speech swag called WAFFI. She had one of the biggest behinds I’ve ever seen and an understanding heart. Her voice was raucous but her laughter truthful. When I got on the bus, the first voice I heard came from her: “Sister you get change? Driver go para if you no get o abeg sidon if change dey your hand.” And this was her job as long I remained in the bus. She would gather moneys, give changes, direct incoming passengers on where to sit, making sure she was not inconvenienced. “Sister you know as e dey na, dis place too tight so make we three (instead of four passengers) just manage dey go like that until no space again for bus before we allow anybody sidon here.” Sitting side by side, we both laughed. Half way through the journey the driver was provoked by a teenage boy who hung on the boot of the bus trying to ...

 THE NEW MARKET PLACE When about 30 of us got into the interview hall, an HR official walked to the front and became a sales man right before our eyes. He sold us the one thing many of us did not wish to buy.  "We are all sales men; marketers in this world, else why do women apply makeup and men make money just to woo the other sex? We want someone to buy what we are directly or indirectly selling. Marketing is one of the best jobs in the world . Be proud of it! So my friends, we offer you the job of a loan officer. You will go out looking for clients who we can loan money..." Those still seated had sad looks on their faces . They probably had no fare to take them home. I spoke to one of them. He was coming all the way from Sango to Gbagada for a job of his nightmare. These were his last words: " Omo this na interview scam o. Na why I come spend my last card be this sha… God dey." We all wanted to be Graduate Trainees but oh well...We were being sold...