Unemployed Youths at the Mercy of Job Racketeers: Who Will
Save them?
Babalola Yusuf Abiola
On Tuesday, 15th of January 2013, it
was all over the internet, social media and news that the controller general of
the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs
Rose Chinyere Uzoma has been relieved of
her duty by President Goodluck Jonathan, though no reason was given when the
news was first broken to member of the public but before the end of the day
reason was made known.
According to the reason given for her
dismissal, it was believed that the president was embarrassed by the latest
recruitment done by the service where the process was on the basis of the
highest bidder without taking into cognizance due process and federal character
as entrenched in the constitution hence her sack was imminent.
Though, the stance was hailed by Nigerians
especially the youths that are mostly affected by this injustice, but will this
be the end of job racketeering in the country? A situation where somebody who doesn’t
know people in the corridor of power or who cannot afford to pay is denied employment
in the country civil service or agencies.
In the Nigeria of today getting a federal,
state or even local government civil service job depends on who you or your parents
know in government, I could remember when I just finished my youth service and
was searching for job my dad who could do little or nothing asked me to see one
of his friends who was working in the Lagos State Ministry Of Information and
Orientation to help me get job in the Lagos state civil service, but on getting
there what he asked me was more than I could handle.
He said, “My brother, employment into
the civil service is mainly based on politics and who you know in the political
circle, your daddy told me you are from Ogun State, so if your dad can get a
letter from Chief Segun Osoba or from the Governor of the state then you will
be employed,” he said.
I thanked him for his advise and said
to myself, my father has never in his life participated in politics neither
does he have flair for politics so how would this man want me to get this
contact he supposedly think will get me a job in the ministry.
I left and since then I never called him
and he never also bothered calling me, later I conducted a background check on
the way recruitment are done into the Nigerian civil service and I realised
that recruitment was never done on merit rather it is through high powered
connection with people in the corridor of power.
Whenever there is recruitment slots (opportunities)
are given to party members, friends, senior staff in the various ministries
while a relatively little space are left for the children of the poor in the
society or for those whose father can afford the exorbitant fee demanded from
them to get the employment.
How else can we explain a situation
whereby a graduate who is either unemployed or that just finish from the
polytechnic or university was asked to pay as much as N200, 000 to get a job
then we need to know that we are heading for doom in this country.
In the word of a senator Ali Ndume,
from Bornu state, when this issue was discussed on the floor of the senate
yesterday, he explained how a constituent comes to him to plead for money
saying he wants to get a job in the civil service.
His words, “A constituent came to me
that he needed N200, 000 to secure employment in one parastatal. When I refused
to give him the money, he said that was the only requirement needed and if I
didn’t give him the money, the job was as good as gone.
“After much pleading, I caved in and
gave him the N200,000 only for him to come back to me days later that the price
was no longer N200,000 but N400,000. This person was a graduate of Geography
who had stayed at home for four years without a job.”
Then if a senator could say this in the
hallowed chamber what hope is left for the children of the poor in the country
or people who don’t have access to a senator that will give him the money to
pay those who ask for bribe from them.
I would not forget in a hurry how my
sister and four of her friends were asked to part away with N30, 000 in other
to get a job with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) back then in
2009 when she just finish her youth service, then all the money she made in her
service year from Personal Practice (PP) she engaged in was collected.
But to this present moment she is still
expecting call-up or appointment letter from the officer they paid money to,
though the man told them later that it has gotten to a stage where he could not
do anything again because the chairman of the Agency, Alhaji Ahmadu Giade has
involved himself in the recruitment for a reason best known to him that was how
her money entered a bottomless pit till today.
What about the recent replacement by The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)
where it is the highest bidder that win the race, a lot of people both
qualified and unqualified youths were employed based on how much you can offer
or who submit your name to the corps authority.
Lot of my friends who are
based in Abuja that can afford the N200,000 price tag was given the job or
people who got letter from either a senator or house of representative member
was also given employment while we who knew nobody or couldn’t pay the money
demanded were left in the cold.
Now, what parents do is to
either join politics in other to be able to get employment for their children
when they are out of school or to go for loan whenever there is recruitment in
government parastatal because truth be told, EMPLOYMENT INTO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES or
parastatals IS FOR THE HIGHEST BIDDERS OR LOYAL PARTY MEMBERS CHILDREN.
Also, personally I have closed my mind away
from any government job because my father is not a politician neither is he a
money bag that can afford those outrageous money job racketeers are asking from
job seekers, so the better I concentrate on the private sector for a better job
the good for me and my family.
