The news of the death of seven at the Recruitment Exam of
the National Immigration Service has been met with ire and outrage nationwide.
There have been various calls from all quarters for the resignation or outright
sack of the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro and the Head of Immigration. The
outrage is understandable, in spite of the attempt by certain individuals or
groups to use this unfortunate occurrence as a means of scoring cheap
popularity against the incumbent Federal Government administration. What is
less so is the fact that, for an agency of Government that required 4,000
recruits, there were close to 68,000 applicants.
I ask:
what did even the applicants expect? After reports surfaced that some were
asked to part with sums of money at the venue, my heart broke. These youths
actually paid for the “privilege” of personal injury and reckless endangerment.
Whether
or not Government and the organizers failed is beside the point. We are no
strangers to systems failures in Nigeria, and with the unruly behavior
exhibited by the applicants; it was sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The
pertinent question is: why are there so many dependent on the Federal
Government for employment? As a people, we pride ourselves on tenacity and
enterprise. Where has that spirit gone?
In no
way, in no society anywhere is the Federal Government tasked with “Job
Creation”. That term is a myth, a song to the ears of Nigerians but
fundamentally flawed. While there will of necessity be recruitment into
Government parastatals, these are not avenues for “Job Creation”. These are
extensions of Government in various sectors, and they surely require staff to
run.
The NIS
and FG did not do this to create jobs, but to facilitate the smooth running of
the nation’s affairs. No government on earth has the capacity to create jobs,
much less that of a densely populated entity like Nigeria. Government is meant
to implement policy, creating an enabling environment for jobs to be created.
It is a facilitator. Yet 68,000 able bodied youths turned up, each believing in
his own mind that the NIS has a job with his/her name on it.
The
National Stadium in Abuja, a complex built for hardworking young Nigerians to
bring glory to their fatherland, became a place for desperate young Nigerians
to tear each other down in the quest for a hand-me-down. An edifice to selfless
service, dedication and sacrifice became a melting pot of angst, riotous
behavior and mental laziness.
Break
free from the crowd mentality. Wean yourself off the teat of the Federal Government.
They have no jobs to offer the teeming number of graduates yearly churned out
by our Universities. Seek a new path, and take advantage of the facilitative
policies that they have made available. Nigeria is a land of opportunity, open
your mind and think. Then stand up and do something. It doesn’t even have to be
big to begin with, start small if need be. If it’s good for your fellow man,
and it pleases God, you are well on your way to greatness.
Solace H.R
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