Nigeria Has Failed Me, A true Life Story

My name is not important, but what I have to say is. It is hard for me to mention my name, not because I’m a coward but because I represent thousands or, probably, millions of Nigerians whose voices have been drowned to a mere whisper by the system.
I am the Nigerian youth and my nation has failed me.


I grew up believing the saying “hard work pays”, and it was this innocent belief that made me toe the line of honesty and hard work. I struggled and studied hard while in secondary school to ensure I got good grades. I sat for the almighty JAMB the first time and was unsuccessful. I attributed it to my young age and was determined to make it on the second try. Just to make sure there were no stones left unturned, I convinced my parents to enrol me in one of the JAMB lessons and it was there I prepared with over 100 other people for the next university entrance examination.


The exams came and passed. The results were released and I was among those fortunate to make it. I was excited at this new chapter of my life. Some of my friends were not as lucky as I was and they had no choice but to try again. While I was rounding up my first year in the university, they were writing the entrance examination again. By then, post-UME examinations had been introduced; hence, they had two hurdles to cross. Some crossed the first but fell at the second. None of them made it through.


I went ahead with school, striving to acquire the degree that was going to make life better for me and my immediate family.
Time passed and holidays came, I caught up on missed gist and realised my friends had made no further attempts to gain admission into school. Apparently, they had discovered some way to make their lives better and even very comfortable without school. It must be something they learnt online, as they frequented cybercafés. I was, however, going to get through with school and secure that good life. “Hard work pays” kept ringing in my ears.


More than five years of studying Engineering came to an end (more than five years because of strikes), I was finally a graduate and it was time for the hard work to pay off. The time came for me to serve my nation and I happily dedicated one year of my life to NYSC. After that, I was ready for the real world. I believed I couldn’t go wrong with my second class upper degree.
My resumé has definitely reached organisations my feet haven’t, thanks to online applications nowadays. Unfortunately, none of these organisations seem to want me. Almost daily, I apply (even to fields outside mine), and just as often, I get rejected.


My friends are still doing well for themselves. Sometimes, they give me rides in their cars to drop job applications and I am left wondering what went wrong for me. I cannot apply for the jobs that appeal to me most because they require long-term experience, something I definitely don’t have. Will I have five years of on-the-job experience after five years of searching for a job? My nation doesn’t have plans for people like me (the youth). We serve her and get little or nothing in return. Little wonder many are seeking the green pastures we should enjoy here on other shores. We would rather accept the crumbs we get there than have nothing in the land we call home.


My friends keep excelling, working hard at what their hands have found. I am a qualified engineer about to send another application to a bank for the position of a security guard.
My nation has failed me.