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.