UNEMPLOYMENT SCAMS RAMPANT IN ABUJA

As Nigerians await the three million jobs which President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised, scammers in Abuja are constantly on the look out for innocent victims.

Protesting unempployed youths in Nigeria
(naijaloaded)

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released a heart-breaking report on Monday, March 21, 2016. The report puts Nigeria's unemployment rate at 10.4 per cent. This figure may escalate given the current economic realities and massive retrenchment of workers both in the public and private sector.

Over the years, the government (both federal and state) have put in place measures to curb this problem. The SURE-P graduate programme during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, School-to-work scheme, Anchor borrower programme and recently launched N-power are notable examples. The success of these plans are yet to be felt as youths still continue to roam about the streets without jobs.

Nigerian youth corpers
(google)

As Nigerians await the three million jobs which President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised, scammers in Abuja are constantly on the look out for innocent victims.

"They have different ways of carrying out their evil acts. You see these posters of vacancies here and there, they are all fake," Ayomide Olanipekun, told a reporter.

Job posters in Abuja (Pulse)

Narrating his experience to our correspondent in Abuja, Ayomide, 28, said he had lost resources while searching for a job upon completion of the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

"I saw the poster while going to church on Sunday. I saved the number but wondered why there was no contact address on it. Honestly, that was the only thing I prayed about during the church service.

"The lady who picked my call asked me to come to the Central Area by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) towers by 7:00am the next day for an interview.

"The most annoying part was that I did not even sleep well because I was rehearsing answers to possible questions that they may ask me. I arrived the venue only to find out that it was not the bank interview but network marketing. I was highly disappointed," he said.

When our correspondent visited the plaza in the busy Central Business District, young Nigerians (20 - 28 years) were seen with different food supplements with the company's logo.

Job poster in Abuja (Pulse)

When asked why the company uses posters with vacancies in banks, embassies, airport, a staff of the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity said: "If you say network marketing, no young Nigerian will come. These positions are to us what baits are to fishermen. I was also deceived here too; it is not a crime. The vacancy that brought me here was an embassy job. Since there was nothing else to do, I came back, paid N10,000 registration fee, chose my company name, printed posters and started. Life must go on."

Uchechi Odozi, 26, said she lost N50,000 to unknown persons who posed as representatives of a telecommunications giant (name with held) based in Lagos. The conversation which began via exchange or E-mails ended after she sent the said sum as "processing fee."

"They probably got my E-mail address online and contacted me. I did not even bother to check their profile online, that was the mistake that I made. With a salary of N350,000 monthly, I gladly sent them N50,000 processing fee. The last mail I got from them was; 'Thanks  for your cooperation, further details soon.'

"They have not replied my mails or sent my offer letter and worst of all, they don't pick calls. I reported to the police but since 2013, they have not found them. I even wrote to the company in Lagos but they said they contact individuals directly not through representatives," he said.

Some unemployed Nigerian youths held a rally in Lagos
(News247)

These and many more stories abound in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria. This points to the need for young people to embrace entrepreneurship by establishing small start-up businesses. But the government must provide the enabling environment for businesses to thrive or else, stories like these may never end.

No be today we know say naija hard die, e no easy at all for anybody. na the youths dey suffer pass, cos jobs no even dey after person go graduate from school finish. we say make we take this opportunity appeal to our government and even private sector to try create jobs for the youths and to support SME's..

#dontakeitP