I was astonished when Philip consulting gave me feedback two days later that because I did outstandingly well in the interview my offer letter would be despatched in three days. I was going to ask ‘you mean my heavy Yoruba accent did not betray me’ when it dawned on me that finally after almost three years of fruitless job hunting experience I now have a DAF trailer light and not a green light beaming directly onto my face. The thought of owning and posing with a personal GSM phone for the very first time just engaged my hitherto inactive mind; the thought alone amplified my adrenaline precipitation. Not anymore would I flip through the pages of the popular Tuesday Guardian newspaper for job adverts.

This news also meant no more gate crashing at banks graduate GMAT centres instead   I will now be occupied productively Monday to Friday working for the Nigeria telecoms giant. I thought of how I was going to miss my friends that we engaged in discussion every Tuesday on interview tactics and the latest vacancies in town. Before the news from MTN one after the other this group of eight jobless graduates got jobs and I remember wondering aloud each time they broke their news of job offer to me when my turn will come.

As a young man I would not mind a ‘Tokunbo’ Golf GTi for a start.  I want a first grade ‘Belgium’ car so that I could still relish the fresh European smell from across the Atlantic. I love to hang my jacket in the air conditioned car and cruise to work while I watch the helpless Nigerian people chase the popular ‘Molue’ buses for a ride to work. I told myself, ‘for once it will be nice to be on the other side after plenty ‘Ewa agoin and Agege bread’, boli and ekpa’, ‘Gari and kuli-kuli’.

Agege, Iyana-Ipaja, and Ajegunle, or Mushin, and Oshodi, are all areas I wouldn’t even think of living in. I would rent a nice two bedroom flat in a choice area. I know Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and Ikeja GRA will be a bit too much for my income, but I wouldn’t mind Surulere, Ilupeju or Anthony village. My first salary will at least be more than enough to take care of 12 pieces of nice packed shirts, and 4 designer trousers. I’ll pick up two brown and black shoes from Mandilas in Marina.  

The news was now impacting on my appearance as I got compliments about my fresh and improved looks from friends. The first week after the good news I couldn’t afford to be out, hence I decided to stay indoor so I could treasure the breathtaking memory of the DHL man knocking on the door and handing over the parcel, and the excitement of reading through the offer letter that would state the six digits salary. I waited in vain as the expected DHL delivery man knocks on my door remained a mirage. I made excuses for the delay, perhaps there could have been some administrative hiccups. I was overly persuaded that the letter would have been handed to the DHL office on Friday and should definitely arrive at my door on Monday morning.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the second week were traumatic as they were the longest days of my life yet I waited full of hope. Very early on Friday morning I dashed to the Philip consulting office to know what was holding my expected appointment letter. Philip consulting told me to contact MTN who already paid them for recruiting me and that they’ll have nothing to do with me again as my file was already closed.

On Broad Street, I waved down an ‘okada’ rider and in less that 25 minutes I was in the MTN head office at Victoria Island. While on the ‘Okada’ I told myself not this time, not again. I remember passing the United Bank for Africa (UBA) GMAT examinations. I was successful in the entire three stage interview; the final stage was a formal meeting with the assistant general manager at the ‘Oyingbo’ regional office. The AGM said he’ll be happy to have me come onboard as soon as possible. The HR team at the UBA house in Marina also confirmed to me that the feed back from the AGM was impressive the HRM manager then promised my appointment letter would be despatched in few days, two years after the letter is still been expected, so this time with MTN I will not fold my arms, I will not wait for the letter to come but go after it, and I will not take no for an answer.

I also got to the final stage of the Okoya’s Eleganza industries Ltd interview, I was at home waiting patiently for my posting letter to the Sokoto office only to be told that the MD sent in a name to replace me before the letter was despatched. Things happen so fast and disorderly in Nigeria that waiting for your turn could be termed as either been sluggish or foolish, in other words waiting for your turn is abnormal. Most teenage UME/JAMB applicants follow up their applications with the universities otherwise they’ll have to wait forever. We have heard of cases where successful candidates’ names in the UME/JAMB master lists were swapped shortly before departmental registration by Universities faculty clerks for money. I know a friend whose name managed to appear on the UME/JAMB admission’s master list after six attempts (six years) only for the name to be swapped by a faculty clerk before departmental registration, it took the intervention of his contact in the registrar’s office to reverse the disgraceful act. This fellow is now a senior bank manager in Lagos.

Sorry jare for digressing, at the MTN head office, I immediately possessed the land in faith even before paying off the ‘okada’ man with a 20 naira note; after all the holy book says ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it’, so confidently I told the receptionist on the ground floor that I was going to collect my employment letter from the HR on the sixth floor when she asked for the name of the person I wanted to see. Chatting away in the lift were those that would potentially become my colleagues in few days I thought.

My joy had no bounds until a lady came out from the HR office to attend to me, she took my name, and came back to inform me that my name was not in the list of the newly employed. I told her to please check again perhaps she didn’t look well enough.  She went in again, this time with my date of birth and postal address. The five minutes wait was horrible as I was not only pressed to use the gents but was also soaked with sweat, I also felt like sitting on the floor as my limbs were failing when she came out to break the unpleasant news.

I told myself, ‘I need this job desperately, my younger ones, and myself can only survive the economic adversity if I can manage to secure a job very soon’; I therefore have to put in everything this time to ensure my name is not swapped. I approached the Dad of a friend who is a Turaki in Niger state if he could help. He didn’t have a friend or relative in MTN so he advised that I should go and investigate if there is a northerner among the board members. I was delighted and began to flip through old newspapers for any clue on northerners holding any senior post. My eyes were crammed with tears of joy when I saw Mallam A. Dasuki as one of the directors.

Immediately the Turaki using his official letter headed paper gave me a note written with his prestigious green pen for Mallam A. Dasuki. The letter boosted my already bruised ego, carrying my ‘trophy’ I walked out of the Turaki’s office in a macho man style; even though I had the letter in a file that had seen better days I still secured it firmly under my armpit. On my way home I remembered telling myself while in the popular ‘Danfo’ bus that whoever will snatch the file must take me out of the way first.

The next day after a painstaking research I headed for Dasuki’s Victoria Island residence where I was told that he lives in Kaduna with his family and only comes to Lagos for board meetings. Before going back home I seized the golden opportunity to win the hearts of his domestic workers so that I could have easy ushering on subsequent visits only then did an MTN dispatch rider brought a letter, I was then told to come back on Wednesday as the letter could be a board meeting invitation.

At 7:00am Wednesday morning I was at Dasuki’s gate with the letter from the Turaki. I was actually standing at the gate when he was chauffeur driven into the house at about 5:00pm but could not see him immidiately because his cook who is from Calabar wouldn’t allow me. The gatekeeper and the generator operator sympathized with my situation, and after weighting the various likely outcome of a brave move to knock on the main door urged me to go ahead as soon as the light in the lobby comes on as that would mean ‘Oga’ was listening to the 9pm NTA news, the move will mean the overzealous cook will therefore have no choice but to open the door for me. Unfortunately, the cook fenced me off the view of his boss and collected the letter.

The gate keeper and the generator operator seeing that I was discouraged assured me that the letter will be delivered and advised that I come back on Friday.

 On Friday I waited to see Dasuki from 7:00am till 9:30pm. At about 10pm he walked a lady friend to her car. Standing by the car they chatted for about five minutes, I took caution as I waited patiently for him to dismiss the lady who I later discovered was one of   MTNs’ general managers. As the lady drove off I took carefully calculated steps then approached him, introduced myself and reminded him of the letter. Looking at me scornfully he walked towards the door and advised me to go home and wait for MTN.

This response to me meant I would have to wait till eternity, obeying the dogged  instinct even though I was formally dressed I immediately went on my knees as I begged him to help investigate why my offer letter was not dispatched. Looking back at the responsibilities I must shoulder even as a job seeker I summoned more courage from wherever it was coming from to further request that a note on his business card for the HR manager will go a long way. He stopped to turn around, looked at me on the ground, hissed and finally went for the front door without looking back again. I stood up, dusted my shirt, and with my head bowed in shame headed for home.

I am not sure yet if he’s the new Minister of State recently appointed by the Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yaradua, if he is what input then can we expect from such a minister?

Robot  # 1 | 06.02.2008 10:47

var sbtitle8163=encodeURIComponent(Dasuki, Why...Read the full article.

K_Station  # 2 | 06.02.2008 11:39

Dear Dele, First I want to say that this is a beautiful article. I couldn't stop reading until the last line because your experience touched a raw nerve in me and moreso because many of us have lived through what you described here. It's like deja vu! I have no doubt that for you to excel so well in these very competitive interviews, you must be a very unique and brilliant person. I wouldn't blame Dasuki for your woes because ordinarily he shouldn't even be involved in your hiring. Someone in the heirarchy substituted your name for a "well connected" fellow, and that is a shame. I wish you luck in your job search and I have no doubt that the heavens will smile on you soonest!

dele26  # 3 | 06.02.2008 14:27

K_Station, thanks for your good wish, if you visit ............ you'll notice that God has changed the story completely =K_Station;4294986704>Dear Dele, First I want to say that this is a beautiful article. I couldn't stop reading until the last line because your experience touched a raw nerve in me and moreso because many of us have lived through what you described here. It's like deja vu! I have no doubt that for you to excel so well in these very competitive interviews, you must be a very unique and brilliant person. I wouldn't blame Dasuki for your woes because ordinarily he shouldn't even be involved in your hiring. Someone in the heirarchy substituted your name for a "well connected" fellow, and that is a shame. I wish you luck in your job search and I have no doubt that the heavens will smile on you soonest!

ajis15  # 4 | 06.02.2008 15:35

Dele: I thought this is what goes on in the public sector, i.e., you have to know a Northerner, to be somebody. It does not matter whether you meet the requirements or pass the interview. I thought in the private sector you just have to go through the stiff competition and if you succeed, you get the job. If this is also happening in the private sector, that is medicocre, then Nigeria is in danger. What a country.

K_Station  # 5 | 06.02.2008 17:59

Good for you ma brother, keep up the good work!

hisambassador  # 6 | 06.02.2008 19:28

This well-written article was a tearjerker for me because it opened my eyes to how bad things have become in Nigeria. A country stupendously endowed by God. I was moved to tears reading the horrors a young man went through in the attempt to get appointment letter to a job for which he had already scaled the interview hurdle. To think that he had to suffer the humiliation of waiting outside the home of a company director from 7 a.m. till 9:30 p.m., just to get a response. Tales like this should be unheard of in a country currently selling millions of oil barrels at close to $100 a piece. I cried as I imagined that millions of others are suffering the same, if not worse fate this very moment. These are the real life victims of the evil the so called leaders have been perpetrating in our beloved country. May God have mercy on Nigeria.

TsuliyanDodo  # 7 | 06.02.2008 21:15

Ajis15: You said "I thought this is what goes on in the public sector, i.e., you have to know a Northerner, to be somebody." ???? You think wrongly. It is not knowing a Notherner. You have to know any big, influential man in Nigeria, whether esaterner, westerner, or whatever...let's not be biased about this. It is really sad that the job selection and hiring process in Nigeria has become very corrupt. Merit hardly ever counts. My sympathy goes to the author but I weep for the Nigerian system. As a rookie graduate, fresh from NYSC in March 2002, I got invited for my second interview (since becoming a university graduate) with an International Non Governmental Organization (INGO) in Abuja. The panel was headed by a non Nigerian. Sent to me with the interview invitation was a folder detailing very clearly the entire stages of the selection process and how the selections would be made. Names of the twelve finalists and the dates and times for their interviews were also listed. Only two Program Officers would emerge from these 12. I was to later discover that all the other 11 candidates were holders of Masters degrees. After reading the folder, I immediatelly became convinced this was going to be a fair and transparent process. I needed the job, but I was prepared to be satisfied it would be a fair process, even if I didn't get the job. Well, I got the job. I'm on a second job which I got after a telephone interview with some European far away. I still haven't met the woman. Yet I was employed and sent to work in Asia. Between March and October 2002, I had trekked and trasversed the length and breadth of Abuja to drop applications in mainly government offices. Employment into the public sector in Ngeria remains a myth to me. How do people get jobs? I simply cannot do it! But this is why we can never make progress in Naija. People who are employed to work must be selected on merit. So, when I see all these, It annoys me. I simply cannot face any selection process in Naija.

okwute  # 8 | 07.02.2008 00:16

Dele,i really dont know what to say but i thank you for the write up.You are a complete nigerian bobo, most of us without godfathers and back ups met the same treatment. Your story is a common one in our present day nigeria and this is just the truth and until there is sanity in this area ,mediocrity will never be erased from nigeria public and private sector. I was denied an employment because it was deemed and seen as utter arrogance and lack of respect for me to present my certificate as an MBA holder where i should have presented only my first degree certificate. In my days as an unemployed graduate ,waiting for an influential man was more like an endorsement because one was excused from the scorching sun and then the accompanying feeling of relevance while at the waiting room even when the outcome of your visit is obviously on the negative. I must point out that this attitude of nigerian companies to nigerians has driven most of the best brains in the country into negative use of their intellect. A trip to 'oluwole' lagos island will definitely give you a picture of what i am saying. Most people out there are graduates with good grades but hasnt the opportunity to put it in use.

Ochi Dabari  # 9 | 07.02.2008 00:35

Thanks for your contribution, TsulianDodo. You got it right; you need to know someone who is BIG, not where the person comes from. Again, like another reader did, I exonerate Dasuki from Dele's predicament. It should not involve him but definitely, he cannot claim ignorance of the happenings in the system. I cannot force people like him to change the status quo. As a matter of fact, we should discourage this godfather business in Nigeria, right from getting a small job to being President of the country. It is getting us nowhere. This is not to say that the Dasuki of a man is doing things right, wherever he is; I will be surprised if he is not like most other Nigerians - fixing his people in all kinds of positions. The article froze me to the end, and it should. Some of us come from poor families and minority ethnic groups, without anyone but God alone. We then ensure that we can be competitive by doing well in our studies, only to run into these kinds of hitches. I confess, I have met good people, who recognise skills but I have had cause to worry before. Part of the reason I am not in Nigeria today was the shoddy treatment I received from authorities at ABU, as a staff member. Twice, I studied on foreign scholarships, secured by my own merit. Both times that I was out of the country, I met well-connected staff members who were on university or Nigerian govt scholarships, and still received their full salaries. The first time I went overseas, I was on half salary, the second time, I was on no salary at all, and had to take care of my family with my scholarship money! Yet, the same university thought that I was going to be happy and return to work for them. I was very happy that I left them when the Dept was in great staff strife. B.astards! I have heard of those employment stories in Nigeria before. Dele was even lucky to get to interviews. Clerks are paid to throw out good applications but when you do attend the interviews and do well, your name will get lost. It is sad. Have a heart, Dele. I wish you all the best. ochi =TsuliyanDodo;4294986852>Ajis15: You said "I thought this is what goes on in the public sector, i.e., you have to know a Northerner, to be somebody." ???? You think wrongly. It is not knowing a Notherner. You have to know any big, influential man in Nigeria, whether esaterner, westerner, or whatever...let's not be biased about this. It is really sad that the job selection and hiring process in Nigeria has become very corrupt. Merit hardly ever counts. My sympathy goes to the author but I weep for the Nigerian system. As a rookie graduate, fresh from NYSC in March 2002, I got invited for my second interview (since becoming a university graduate) with an International Non Governmental Organization (INGO) in Abuja. The panel was headed by a non Nigerian. Sent to me with the interview invitation was a folder detailing very clearly the entire stages of the selection process and how the selections would be made. Names of the twelve finalists and the dates and times for their interviews were also listed. Only two Program Officers would emerge from these 12. I was to later discover that all the other 11 candidates were holders of Masters degrees. After reading the folder, I immediatelly became convinced this was going to be a fair and transparent process. I needed the job, but I was prepared to be satisfied it would be a fair process, even if I didn't get the job. Well, I got the job. I'm on a second job which I got after a telephone interview with some European far away. I still haven't met the woman. Yet I was employed and sent to work in Asia. Between March and October 2002, I had trekked and trasversed the length and breadth of Abuja to drop applications in mainly government offices. Employment into the public sector in Ngeria remains a myth to me. How do people get jobs? I simply cannot do it! But this is why we can never make progress in Naija. People who are employed to work must be selected on merit. So, when I see all these, It annoys me. I simply cannot face any selection process in Naija.

Austin  # 10 | 07.02.2008 04:24

Why not lets pull the carpet from under the feet of these cabals that have carved the country out for themselves. Being identified as a paranoid or irrenditist is only a misunderstanding of one's dilemma. There appears to be any other way out for the country. We all can only choose either to beat them or join them.

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