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After my national youth service, life was very tough with me. As a graduate, I went into the street to search for a job, and after six months of searching, I found no job. I decided to change my strategy by going to places and dropping my CV. I got no call from any organisation. I didn’t prepare for this kind of life, even though I have read from many sources how it has recently been difficult for graduates to get jobs in the country. Moreover, I have also heard directly from people who said that they have been on the street looking for jobs for many years. I was thinking that my case would be different.
One fateful evening, I went out on the street to get an extension socket to enable me to charge my phone and also use my standing fan at the same time. I walked into an electronics shop not too far away from my house. “Do you have an original extension socket”? I asked. A tall and dark-complexioned man with a pot belly responded with a heavy tone.
“We have so many” from his accent, I could tell that he was from the Igbo extraction of eastern Nigeria, after he said that he came out with a different brand of the sockets.
“Sir, I don’t think any of this socket is original”
“I do not sell fake things my son” he defended
“It's not true, that’s how every business person will defend their goods even if they are bad ones”, I pushed him further. I could sense that the man couldn’t defend himself any longer so he devised a means to make me believe him
“I am a pastor”, he boasted, putting his right hand in his side blue jeans “I cannot lie to you, I also own a school,” he said, mentioning the name of the school and the address. At this point, I started to believe him.
“So you own a school, are you not looking for teachers”? I asked
“I am”
“I can teach sir, I just came back from service not too long ago”
“Actually, I am looking for a government teacher”
“I studied Political science, and I am a second-class upper-division graduate”
I knew it was the beginning of a new academic session and most schools were looking for teachers to fill the space of those who might have left.
“If you know you can teach very well, by tomorrow take your application letter, CV and other documents to 14 Nelson Mandela Street, ask for Miss Joy, then tell her I sent you to submit the document.” He said with a little amount of seriousness.
“Thank you, sir”, I said. “As for the socket, how much is it”
“Two thousand naira” he replied. I didn’t even bother to bargain the price, hence, I paid him and left.
Two weeks later I was invited for an interview. After a successful interview, he said to his principal, “Have you informed him how much we pay here”? Mere hearing that, I knew I was about to enter into a trap. The lady called me aside and said, “We pay fourteen thousand naira a month here, but since you’re a graduate, we will pay you fifteen thousand naira” The statement hit me like a sharp arrow, piercing my heart. I looked at the lady, and I didn’t know what to answer. I had a mixture of anger and disappointment fueled together. The lady could sense it so she excused herself and told me to meet her at her office after I had made up my mind. After a while, I summoned the courage and accepted the job on good faith. I knew I was worth more than this. I knew I could earn better pay if it were to be in a saner clime. I taught government and civic education for the whole school, together with other extracurricular activities. After working for a year and six months, I earned the same salary. I struggled to pay bills, had no savings whatsoever, and I decided to quit. Upon quitting the job, I got a tricycle popularly known as a keke napep. Riding keke napep isn’t a job for a graduate, but I had to take the shame to make ends meet. I wasn’t satisfied with the job, I still knew I was worth more than this.
Another fateful day, my mom came for a visit, and I decided to hide the keke so she wouldn’t know. However, the next day she wanted to leave, I told her to wait let me get Keke from my friend and drop her at the motor park. I brought it and she entered. I took her to the park, and on my way back, the unexpected event happened. A passenger stopped me and I cleared to pick her up. Suddenly, another keke drove past me and blocked my journey. Immediately, two men in black and orange uniforms came out and approached me. One of them ceased my key, the other entered the passenger’s seat. “Let’s go to the station” he said.
“What’s my offence”? I queried
“It’s an offence to pick a passenger at that point” he responded
“Officer…..”
“Young man, when we get to the station, you will understand better”, he interrupted me.
He drove the keke with full throttle and left me dumbfounded.