To those still believing in one Nigeria .. Now read and learn from this piece By Paulinus Okpere
It was back in April 2009, exactly 2 months after I returned from Yobe state where I had served my Father Land. I wanted a job so bad and I had to boost my credentials. I had also wanted to work in an oil servicing firm and hence I needed a certification in Health, Safety and Environment.(HSE). It was an expensive 3 weeks training at the Nigerian Institute of Safety Professionals(NISP) Ogunu, Warri, Delta state.
I soon finished the programme and enlisted into some jobs placements at Escravos. I was shortlisted to take the exams as pre-exquisite for employment. The exam was fixed for a month later and that was in June 2009.(my birth month). I thought to myself, there is no better birthday gift than to have an appointment letter from the three companies I was tested with. It excited me and I read out my head for days and nights.
Now here is the pain of my experience. On the exam day, I saw so many Fulanis and Hausas. I was first amazed as to why they were more in numbers than the Niger Deltans like myself and South Easterners as well as middle beltans. It didn't take long for me to realize what was going on. The oil industry was populated by the Gambaris and they have gone to their respective villages to bring these people with only SSCEs and J.SSSCE certification to contest for the same jobs that was pegged strictly for BSc/HND graduates. I quickly befriended one of such Gambari imports to ascertain what was agog.
To my utmost chagrin, Farouk Ismaila told me point blank that their leader owns huge shares in one of the companies and that the other leader outrightly owns the other company with 4 oil wells approved to it. I was astonished. He then told me that he only holds an SSCE certificate which he pulled out to show me. He had passes in English and Mathematics. How this guy was going to make it through the exams became a miracle I could no longer wait to see. Unknown to me, these guys had already been anointed for these jobs. They were only told to come mark the attendance register just so it appears on paper that they partook in the exam. "Shame of a Nation" I muffled to myself.
During the exams, these Gambari guys were all unworried. They were all speaking their language among themselves and could even hardly converse in pidgin English. The Exam lasted an hour and half. And we were discharged out of the heavily secured hall. The results was to be published on the websites of these companies two weeks after. Lo and behold, when it did come out, the list was shocking to me. Of the 120 applicants that got the jobs, 104 were Gambaris. The other 16 shared among the other regions. I was not taken even though I know I smashed the questions like groundnuts in the mouth of a road side mechanic. I was angry, infuriated and mad at the Nigerian system. It put me off for many months if not years and I hated the fact that indigenes of the soils were these companies operates are not even considered at all. Nigeria to me from then till now is a Gambari property. They own this country and have taken the Niger Delta as their dollar farm.
Nepotism have plagued us and have put a well certified PHd holder to become a bus driver.
8 years after, I have not worked for any conglomerate or company. In between I have become a Dad of two but what to do? I won't let job seeking make me have kids too late. I will turn 35 come June 19th this year and this is the sorry state of a country where I was born into. My son will be 5 in August and my Daughter 2 in May. What future awaits them in this doomed country worries me daily.
Who else have a bad experience with this amalgamated shamble called Nigeria?
I will like to read some experiences too!
#BrosPauLy