In September 2019, the Nigerian states Sokoto and Taraba had the most significant percentage of people living below the poverty line.
A higher number of northerners live below the poverty line with less than 137.4 thousand naira in yearly earnings (roughly 361 U.S. dollars).
How can we effectively eradicate unemployment in northern Nigeria? I’ll propose five ways.
Let’s talk history.
Contents
Poverty in View
Despite the abundance of natural resources, northern Nigeria still has the most destitute, and most are young people. In northern Nigeria, a significant consequence of unemployment in Northern Nigeria can be seen in the magnitude of crime, restiveness and insecurity. Most of them are partakers in heinous crimes that damage government properties, personal properties and probe danger to lives.
Poverty is an effect of unemployment. Unlike other advanced countries where the government is directly responsible for their citizens’ affairs, the Nigerian system does not work that way. Despite the improvement in the number of tertiary institutions, there hasn’t been a system that guarantees job security after school. Most of these youths receive their certificates after school and keep them someplace safe for future purposes. And these future plans are short-lived as soon as they recite their marriage vows.
A professor was speaking about mindset designers. He ran a comparison test between Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria, citing the example of his visit to Lagos during one of his travels. One thing that stood out was that most youths in Lagos were occupied in the hustle spirit early in the morning. He was impressed with the absence of idleness he saw as everyone was into one activity or the other. He hadn’t ever noticed something as intriguing as this among all his years in northern Nigeria. When he got home, he decided to compare by staring outside early the following day. He had woken up quite late due to stress from the last journey; he agreed to take a peek; what his eyes saw shook him hard, and then he said, “I know why we are destitute.”
The Real Problem
A significant problem causing the high increase in unemployment in northern Nigeria is the youths’ attitude to work in contrast with Nigeria’s other parts. They depend on the government for literally everything and have nothing to show for it.
Another problem causing severe unemployment rates is the “long leg” syndrome in most parts of Nigeria. Finding a great job depends solely on who you know and not necessarily your experience or skillset.
Regardless, things have changed recently.
With the shift in digital technology and creativity, finding a great job doesn’t depend on who you know. Have you found yourself in a similar position after school? Have you been praying for a miracle to happen to the countless number of resumes you’ve submitted to different organisations? Here are five effective strategies to ending unemployment in northern Nigeria.
Learn Digital Skills
If you are wondering what next to do after acquiring your National Youth Service Corps certificate. You are not alone; reality dawns every day on many Nigerians when they realise that life isn’t a bed of roses after NYSC.
Our university courses have a way they beam and assures you of the best after school. You might have bragged about the commercial potential your career choice had, and every other person needed clarity in choosing theirs. But after service year, your hope dims because, in reality, it’s as if you literally wasted four years in the university: no one wants your services.
Now is not the time to put your hands on your head to cry about your predicament; this is a time for you to do something about it. The future of work has been predicted to be digital; there are many skills to acquire. Since the Covid19 Pandemic, new job opportunities have been created. Companies are basically on the lookout for employees with excellent digital skills. There’s no harm in trying to veer off the tight path you stayed on in school; now is a time to learn a new skill that will actually settle your bills.
These days, there are free courses online on new skills to take on your new career path, and of course, there’s Youtube. I can’t stress how much free knowledge is available to you on YouTube. Channel your frustrations to learning and acquiring a new skill. This could either be a soft or hard skill, whichever works for you, do. Skilling up gives you confidence and makes you marketable. When trying to skill up, look at job openings and focus on their requirement description to better understand what your recruiters are looking for.
SEE: Six Steps to Start Your Digital Marketing Company
Take Volunteer and Internship Opportunities.
No matter how unrewarding this might appear, give volunteering a chance. Try finding charity organisations you can impact because, obviously, volunteering makes you stand out in your resume. Look on the bright side, it gives you opportunities to contribute to your passions, leverage to connect with professionals and keeps you busy. One way or the other, you gain on every side.
Volunteering enhances the personal skillset, attitudes and knowledge that can help job seekers in the labour market. The benefits of volunteerism even exceed the job market. Many fellowships, scholarships, and jobs require your leadership and volunteer experience to know how competent, employable, and better you meet their learning objectives.
The influx of internship positions springing up post covid 19 eras is impressive. The demands for applicants for internship position in organisations has created more space for well informed young people to make better decisions in enrolling. Initially, internships were requirements by universities to give fundamental industrial expertise to students. However, now it’s way more than that. Through apprenticeships, people get the opportunity to understand the processes of new businesses. At the same time, people are allowed to discover new job opportunities, build on their expertise, and eventually earn a company position. There are many openings for digital skills these days in different organisations. Some of which are paid and others are unpaid. However, internships give you better leverage than those without experience and probably might get you employed in the organisation.
Try Freelancing
Believe it or not, the freelancing industry continues to grow at record rates in the last couple of years. In fact, the freelancer industry reportedly grew by over 12 per cent, as noted by the Financial Times. Freelancing in Nigeria has grown as more graduates look for modern ways of earning a living. This is because of the technological shift the world has been experiencing; thus, new jobs have been created. It is evident that if you must succeed as a youth in Nigeria, there is no hassle in giving freelancing a shot. Here are ways to go about it.
● Select a Skill
There are countless skills available today in the freelance industry, ranging from writing to programming. As an upcoming freelancer, it is your job to select a skill you know you can offer, develop yourself and position yourself as an expert in that field.
● Build a Brand
As an upcoming freelancer, one thing you must know is that the competition never drops. You need to treat yourself as a brand and always show up on different social media platforms. There is a diversity of media; you could leverage the one that works better for you, including websites, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. You must be willing to communicate your unique selling point to your audience because you need to appear as a brand they can trust with their money.
● Build a Portfolio
One thing people look out for when scouting freelancers on apps and social media is proof of the services they have offered in the past. With the high scam rates in Nigeria, no one will want to “enter one chance.” Testimonials and portfolio increase trust in your service or skill.
● Pitch: After you’ve got your skill or service, built a trustworthy brand with a great portfolio, the next step is to pitch your service to clients. This implies positioning yourself strategically to solve the specific problems of your clients.
Adopt creativity
Due to the financial crisis, many organisations in Nigeria had to reduce their number of employed staffs. This was also the case outside Nigeria; many people in the U.S. lost their job security.
Every young person’s dream is to make it big in life. A trend that went viral on the internet was the “2019; we go buy Benz.” Even if that year’s outcome wasn’t so pleasurable, one would understand that young people will continue to dream big despite the negativities that are hurled at them. Recently, millennials have created more jobs. Most of them are abandoning the traditional career choices and opting for new ones. Through creative thinking, more people have been employed.
A great example is that of a man with no painting history or skills but has a great creative mind for the colour combination. He charges over 200k for consultancy and has created a space for himself in the construction industry. There will be an excellent benefit if northern Nigerian youths can focus on similarly creating their own ventures. There are many job opportunities created due to these new ventures, and more will be developed over time. The best decision is to feed your mind with the right things to become better at thinking creatively.
Build a Profitable Network
A network is critical nowadays. Maintain professional contact with people who have gone ahead in your career and update your references list. Building your network is an excellent way of improving your net worth. Irrespective of what you aim to achieve in the business world, you need to find someone who could be a partner—the more extensive the network, the better. A network helps you to build your brand reputation. You could connect with great minds through different social media platforms, seminars, workshops, or even by buying their books or paying for courses.
Conclusion
I understand the difficulty in attempting to step out of the norm. It’s a leap of faith. You can create an empire for yourself – others are taking advantage of these opportunities. Weigh your priorities, set your goals and begin crushing unemployment. Best of luck.
You can always send us a mail if you wish to speak directly to an expert.
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