The inability of many job seekers to
get employment is because they are not prepared to add value when offered any
job.
Prior
to military interventions, Nigeria had a
fairly decent, enlightened, educated and dedicated civil service comparable to
any that existed in most parts of developed societies.
Our
civil service was an envy and a reference point to many sister African nations,
who were willing to offer employment to many civil servants to help establish
enduring civil service institutions in those countries. After several years of
misadministration, our people are yet to recover from the establishment of
corruption, impunity and decay of the Nigerian civil service institution. These
years of injurious rulership badly affected the psyche of the average Nigerian
worker and of course we know that virtually all sectors of the economy was
infected by these terrible canker worms.
Successive
governments have tried to bring back “good working ethics” when people were
known to be very industrious, committed and diligent. It has only resulted in
more breakdown of ethical standards in the work place. Can a nation be divulged
from its people? Absolutely impossible. We often hear of the zeal of the
Germans, the indomitable spirit of the Americans, the strength of the Japanese
and the Jews for their laudable inventions; these people are not super humans.
The behavioural attitude of foreign nationals to work has made them an envy to
the majority of us. These western nations pioneered and dominated the
industrial revolution years successfully and are now blazing the trail in
information technology era with super inventions. Supreme love for their
country is the driving force which supercedes every other ephemeral or mundane force.
Few people in this country who truly want to see the establishment of ethical
standards are crying for positive change. The impact of their cry is
overwhelmed by strongly entrenched machination and orchestrations of so many,
evil, obstinate, and uncircumcised at heart. The love of the greater number for
hard work has seriously been affected by a culture of impunity, greed and
avarice to an excessive degree; this is the creation of the cankerworm,
corruption. Put a Nigerian in say America, he is determined to excel in any
area of economic or commercial endevour-daring for instance many odds. Bring same person back to Nigeria,
his productivity and attitude to work
will suffers infectious regression. His zeal for work dies as he is tempted to
follow bandwagon of persons who want to reap where they have not sown.
Education,
whether informal or formal is central to all human activity. In the formal
education sector, students and lecturers have mastered the art of unethical
conducts within the school environment.
Immorality
and commercialism has engulfed most, if not all citadels of learning. How can
any rational person reconcile education and productivity without high moral
values. When teachers and lectures who are to shine as good examples employ
sex, intimidation and threats, even as students abandon their primary
assignment to romance with cultism. Out of 500 top universities in the world,
none of our universities enjoy a listing. With more universities than America
and Japan, yet there is nothing to show for it. “Miracle centres’ abound
everywhere to the knowledge of those in governmental authority without welding
the corrective rod of discipline. Many mechanical engineers who graduate every
year loath bolts and spanners even as wayside mechanics are more skillful than
these graduates. Intellectual gatherings that will enhance the mental capacity
of our youths is given low attendance as against political and sectarian
congregations. Employ people to work with you and all they think about is the
month end. They don’t care about the service they render. They are not
creative, innovative and are not ready to add value. When they are given a role
to play where their impact will be felt, they tend to chicken out. They love
the civil service job where they will have free time to watch movies on their
laptops.
Many
graduates have in their possession certificates that cannot be defended. How
will a graduate that writes b/4 for before be able to function effectively in
any business enterprise? Academic staff union Nigeria universities ASUU has
been on strike for 2 months now plus with no hope of ending it. Disclaimers
adorn our national newspaper of greedy employees whose desire is not to work
but to loot. This is the bane of our society.
Many
people disregard spiritual laws which are beneficial for living. Just as there
are physical laws, there are also spiritual laws that govern human activities
and environment. These spiritual laws are sacrosanct or immutable, and because
they are, whenever people violate them by being corrupt, disloyal, and
unfaithful, the individual and community suffers. We are our enemies. For
example, give a road contract to a Nigerian to execute, what will be
constructed will be wishy washy compared to when same project is awarded to a
foreign firm. And that is why our road projects are always contracted out to
people who will do it well. Our refineries have almost stopped functioning
because of the enemy within-our unethical, terrible, wicked, and destructive
attitude to work. School of Nursing Agbor, a Nursing institution managed by
very educated and competent professionals that should admit 50 students every
academic year went ahead to admit more than required. Why? How will they
effectively lecture or train more than the required students with out necessary
facilities? We leave the answer to your reasoning. Our hospitals are in a
comatose state due to unending cancerous greed and indiscipline by Nigerians
themselves.
The
solution to the problem of unemployable people is not too much of no job but in
the rebranding of the minds of everyone.
Our people should think of what they can do for the country and not the
other way round. Good business ethics or behaviour is a prerequisite for
everyone who want to make a success of any chosen career. A code of business
ethics can provide a basis on which policies can be devised to guide daily
behaviour and decision in the workplace. Now, many employers of labour are
wiser and critical of who they employ as they want to get maximum returns on human
capital rather than engaging “I don’t care people and those with very good
certificates they can not defend”. It may sound as dooms day prophesy that our
economic woes will not disappear and Nigeria’s vision of becoming one of the
top 20 world economies will be a mirage, until
we eshew impunity, corruption and our negative attitude to the work
place.
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