NIGERIA’S YOUTH: UNEMPLOYED, OR INCREASINGLY UNEMPLOYABLE?

The uncomfortable conversation about work ethic, initiative, education and the quality of our human capital.

There is a worrying trend I have observed over the past two months, and I think it is time we began having an honest conversation about it.

Nigeria has a population estimated at over 230 million people, with a substantial proportion being young people. We often describe this youthful population as a demographic dividend: a potentially energetic, productive and resourceful workforce capable of driving economic growth and national development.

But I have begun to wonder whether we are paying enough attention to the quality of this supposedly enormous human resource.

Are we producing young people who are genuinely prepared for the world of work? Or are we simply producing graduates who have certificates but lack some of the most basic attributes required to function effectively in a workplace?

My concerns are not based on speculation or social media commentary. They arise from a rather frustrating experience recruiting and coordinating young people for a market research exercise involving the enumeration of retail outlets selling spices and seasonings across Lagos State.

The assignment is relatively straightforward. Enumerators are required to visit shops, capture information about products, take photographs and upload the information through a mobile application. They are paid ₦1,000 for every approved outlet.

One would imagine that in a country where unemployment is such a significant concern, an opportunity to earn money through a relatively straightforward assignment would attract considerable interest.

It did attract interest. But what followed has been both frustrating and deeply concerning.

THE EXPECTATION WITHOUT THE COMMITMENT

We encountered young people who expressed interest in the assignment but were unwilling to commence work because they considered ₦1,000 per outlet too small.

Others insisted that transportation and data allowances must be provided before they could move.

Let me be clear: I understand that transportation and data cost money. I understand that people must consider the economics of an assignment before accepting it. Employers also have a responsibility to structure work opportunities in ways that are fair and economically viable.

But what I find difficult to understand is the attitude that sometimes accompanies these demands.

Some individuals would express interest, download the application, create their profiles, get activated and simply disappear.

No communication. No explanation. No indication of whether they had changed their minds.

One particular experience remains fresh in my memory.

A young lady living around the Songotedo area was recruited to work on Lagos Island. She downloaded the application, created her profile and was activated. On the day she travelled to the Island, the application developed technical problems, and the technical team was unavailable to resolve them.

I subsequently sent her transportation money to return to Lagos Island on Monday of the following week.

She acknowledged receiving the money and thanked me.

On Monday morning, I followed up to establish whether she had commenced the assignment. There was no response. Later in the afternoon, she called to say she had missed my call and wanted to know whether the application problem had been resolved.

I reminded her that we had agreed she would return to the Island on Monday, which was precisely why I had sent her transportation money.

Her response?

She had actually planned to go on Wednesday.

I asked her a simple question: Did that make any logical sense? You received money for a journey you agreed to make on Monday, acknowledged receipt, but had independently decided that you would travel on Wednesday without informing the person who sent you the money?

There was no satisfactory explanation.

Approximately ₦16,000 had been spent on that particular individual, with absolutely no productive return.

What troubled me even more was the apparent absence of any sense of responsibility or even an apology.

WHEN GENEROSITY IS MISTAKEN FOR ENTITLEMENT

On another occasion, three young people went out to conduct the enumeration.

At the end of the day, their individual outputs were one, five and four outlets respectively.

That evening, they asked whether they would receive their daily allowances.

I asked them to consider the situation from the perspective of a business owner. If they were running a business with a daily target of 20 outlets and none of their workers had achieved even 10, would they consider paying the daily allowances?

They agreed that it would not make business sense.

Yet, in a bid to encourage them and motivate them to return the following day, I requested their account details and paid them.

They thanked me.

And disappeared.

This experience raises a fundamental question about the relationship between opportunity, responsibility and reward.

When someone extends a helping hand to you, particularly in a work environment, does that generosity absolve you of your responsibility to deliver?

Why should an employer’s willingness to encourage and support a worker be interpreted as an entitlement rather than an opportunity to demonstrate commitment?

THE ABSENCE OF INITIATIVE AND INDEPENDENT THINKING

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of these experiences is not even the reluctance to work. It is the apparent difficulty some young people have with basic reasoning, initiative and problem-solving.

A young lady whose profile had already been created and activated informed me that she had not worked that day because someone had promised to add her to a group.

I asked her a simple question.

If you know that you are being paid per outlet enumerated, and you have been activated to work, how does waiting indefinitely to be added to a group make sense?

If 30 minutes or an hour passes and nobody adds you, why not call the person responsible? Why not ask what the problem is? Why not find out whether there is another way to proceed?

Her response was that it simply did not occur to her.

And that is where my concern becomes much deeper.

How do we develop people who cannot independently assess a situation, identify a problem and take reasonable steps towards resolving it?

Must every action be explained? Must every decision be directed? Must someone always be available to tell us what to do next?

There is a difference between needing guidance and lacking the initiative to think.

The workplace does not always provide perfectly packaged instructions. Sometimes, the ability to recognise what needs to be done and take the first step is what distinguishes a productive employee from an unproductive one.

WHERE HAVE WE GONE WRONG?

I believe we need to look beyond government and the economy and begin examining ourselves as individuals, parents, educators and institutions.

We have become very comfortable discussing unemployment in Nigeria as though the responsibility rests almost entirely with government and employers.

Certainly, the economy is challenging. There are not enough quality jobs to absorb our growing workforce. Wages are under pressure, the cost of transportation is high, and many young people are struggling to find their footing.

These are real issues and must not be dismissed.

But there is another side to the conversation.

What is the quality of the human resource we are presenting to employers?

What are our schools and universities actually producing?

Are we raising young people who can think critically, communicate effectively, solve problems, honour commitments and take responsibility for their actions?

Or have we become so preoccupied with certificates, grades and graduation ceremonies that we have neglected the development of character, discipline and practical intelligence?

Our parents must take some responsibility. Education should not end with paying school fees and ensuring that children graduate. We must teach them responsibility, accountability, respect for other people’s time and resources, and the dignity of earning a living through honest work.

Our schools must also do better. We need an educational system that teaches application, not just memorisation; practical problem-solving, not just examination preparation; and independent thinking, not just the ability to follow instructions.

Government must invest more deliberately in vocational education, apprenticeships, technical skills and structured workplace exposure.

And employers must also play their part by providing clear expectations, fair compensation, appropriate training and opportunities for young people to learn and grow.

WE MUST RESTORE THE DIGNITY OF WORK

One of the most important lessons we must teach our young people is that work is fundamentally about value creation.

You do not simply turn up somewhere and expect to be paid because you need money. You are compensated for the value you bring, the work you perform and the contribution you make.

Of course, people need opportunities to learn. Nobody should expect a beginner to perform like an experienced professional. But a willingness to learn, the ability to follow instructions, punctuality, honesty, communication and initiative are not advanced professional skills. They are basic workplace attributes.

You may not have a university degree. You may not have technical expertise. You may not have years of experience.

But can you be trusted to do what you have agreed to do?

Can you communicate when you encounter a problem?

Can you think through a simple challenge?

Can you take responsibility without being chased?

Can you demonstrate that you value the opportunity you have been given?

These questions matter.

THE BIGGER QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS TO NIGERIA?

A youthful population is not automatically an economic advantage.

It becomes an advantage when that population is educated, skilled, productive, innovative, disciplined and capable of creating value.

Otherwise, the demographic dividend we celebrate may become a demographic burden.

We cannot continue to measure our progress by the number of graduates our universities produce, the number of people who register on employment platforms or the number of young people who describe themselves as unemployed.

We must begin to ask more fundamental questions.

Can they work?

Can they think?

Can they solve problems?

Can they take responsibility?

Can they be trusted with an assignment when nobody is supervising them?

Can they turn opportunities into productive outcomes?

These are not questions intended to condemn an entire generation. There are hardworking, intelligent, resourceful and exceptionally talented young Nigerians doing remarkable things across the country and beyond. They deserve recognition and support.

But we must not allow their achievements to distract us from the weaknesses that need urgent attention.

WE NEED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.

Nigeria does not merely need more jobs. It needs a workforce prepared to do those jobs, learn, grow, innovate and eventually create opportunities for others.

Unemployment is a serious national problem. But so is unemployability.

We must stop treating these as mutually exclusive issues.

Perhaps it is time we looked beyond the familiar question, “Where are the jobs?” and began asking another equally important question:

“Are we adequately preparing our young people for the jobs, opportunities and responsibilities that already exist?”

Because a nation cannot build a productive economy simply by having millions of young people looking for work.

It must also develop millions of young people capable of doing the work.

And that responsibility begins with all of us.

Stanley Onyekandi Okofu