There’s a math equation gone horribly wrong; tertiary education, skills development and
jobs in Nigeria isn’t adding up anymore. Young people are getting too old waiting;waiting for jobs, a chance at life and waiting for adulthood (waithood).
The most important marker of adulthood is the ability to earn living wages. Professional certifications and diplomas are a must have but have they really solved this waithood problem?
There is a strong connection between waithood and restricted futures of youths in Nigeria. The ability of young people to work and provide for themselves and others defines their self-worth and position both in their families and communities. Unfortunately, this sense of dignity will remain unattainable by the majority of young people in Nigeria.
The Sweat Your Assets Programme is a 5 year intervention plan to help the underemployed, unemployed and unemployable young Nigerians in the dilemma of
waithood attain the economic autonomy that will allow them to partake in responsibilities
that defines adulthood. This need to help young people manage the transition from waithood to adulthood comes straight out of the statistics:
The number of youths that make up the population of Nigeria is estimated to be 64 million (Nigeria’s population currently stands at 170 million). 54% of 64 million youths are unemployed (representing nearly 35 million).
Executive Assistant at DataVance LLC
Consumer Protection Assurance Officer at First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank)
Treasury Officer at Sahara Group
Site Engineer at Mase Contractors Limited
Internal Control Officer at Hope Payment Service Bank Limited (Hope PSBank)
IT Support Officer at Filmhouse Cinemas Limited
Quality Assurance Supervisor at Apple and Pears Limited
Marketing & Communication Executive at Lenco Technology Limited