Mr Jimi Disu,
I am an ardent listener of your programme, and just to encourage one unemployed youth now in this generation, i chose to share my story. for the sake of this conversation you can address me as ‘Kelvin’.
I graduated from UNIBEN!!! in 2008 with a B.eng in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, i finished with a second class upper division. i served in Eket, akwa Ibom in 2010. After service i went back for my masters in the same university, Uncle Jimi, i had to go for a masters programme because at the time i had no job, but between you and i,it was a complete waste of time because i learnt nothing that i didnt already know during undergraduate studies.
So I decided to take up a course in NETWORKING!!!.it was interesting at the time then because i was really learning and the idea of being internationnaly certified motivated me, because all the interviews i attended, i couldnt answer the question what can you do? whats your skill? so i started building knowledge in these fields, but the problem i had was experience. i did all the possible interviews there was to do, i will pass the test, but after the interview, i always got rejected. in between these times i was doing contract jobs here and there, some were three months and others four and so on. i almost gave up on myself because i was losing confidence, i had friends who didnt even graduate driving the big cars and living large, some even laughed at me, saying after all the book what was the gain. i had supportive parents who sent me 50k monthly for up keep.
At the end of 2014 i relocated to lagos, because i had sibblings who i could stay at their place and at least eat freely. i couldnt even keep a relationship because even as good looking as i was every lady had expctations. So to even tell them that for 6 years i had not had any real job. Uncle Jimi, i wanted to work, i was motivated, but the job wouldnt just come. So i changed approach, i started applying to firms, to work for free, at least i want to build experience. i met people along the way who offered to help, who duped me, one church member, name with held, told offered to send me on training in the US, i went in the training, paid all my expense myself, only to come back to nigeria that it was a free training.
i hated all my relatives because i felt the wouldnt help, and i had them in really big places. i had literally given up. A friend of mine even brought the thought of a taxi (UBER driver). i knew i had stuff inside of me the needed to be harnessed.
So one day, over drinks at my friend’s sister’s house, Her husband asked me, what i coud do, and i said i could NETWORK. so he kept probing and found out that i had some knowledge, so he offered me N40,000 to work for him. i accepted it and my first task was to create a network for a new office in Victoria island, off ozumba. It was easy.when i was done, his partner offered me a full employment of N120,000 a month.
So we had a project with a telco i wont mention their name now, after my performance on the project, i was made the IT supervisor. Mr JIMI, i realized that i had leadership skills i never knew i had. i worked weekends sometimes on my own accord. In my firm, they mostly employ from foreign universities, but the way i outshone them was so unbelievable that i was made head of Operations.
I got the letter today, and i didnt even know what to say. i live in my house now, and i am in a relationship leading to marriage, all these turn around started in February 2015, i have been promoted twice under one year.
i look back to when i acceped the offer, and remember my friends telling me not to, that it was too small, i should negotiate a raise. My dad said, it is a starting point, an opportunity to show the world what you are made of, and i listened. look at me today, i send money to my sibblings same age as me who are still waiting for the dream job, i am comfortable. i still aspire greater heights, i always want to learn. i encourage those who were in my shoe never to give up.
Thanks for listening to my story.
Kelvin
END
Dear Mr. Disu, I am an ardent listener of your news analysis on 97.3 and the sister station down the corridor as well as the discus on Sunday. My neighbor just lost his brother in a ghastly motor accident on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, there was an eye witness who took photograph of the gory scene, this eye witness and other people too also had an accident at that spot where my neighbor brother had accident. From what the eye witness reported, a construction company working on the third Mainland Bridge did not cordon the area where they are working which result to vehicles running to obstacles placed on the road, the eye witness was also a victim, his vehicle got damaged too. My neighbor brother car hit one of this obstacle he got out of his car to access the damage to his car another car ran him down. Mr. Disu can i get neighbour to e-mail you the account he was able to get from the eye witness. I am very concern not only because my neighbor is involve but for safety of other people in the future, the construction company was negligence , help did not come quick and when it came there was not much they could do and the Police are so slow to get more fact surrounding the where about of the passenger in his car, yes he had a passenger in his car.