In the part of The Sahara where I have my ancestral roots, there used to be a very different calendar whose basic purpose is to identify market days which came after every three days. The arrival of the market days brought joy to everyone, young and old, buyer or seller, they all knew they’ll be better off than the previous day, since it was also a day in which the produce from different farms exchanged ownership, and monies by extension, exchanges hands, and those who were in need of food and/or other items will have their wants and needs satisfied. Right from those days, the market day has been “The moment of truth”. That special day where produce from various farms test wits, both in size, quality and quality. The farmer with the best output earned the most, and ended up with the fattest purse. Now back to the issue on ground. It is no longer news that ASUU has been on strike which has lingered on for over three months but there is a side to it nobody seems to talk about. Regardless of how long the strike lingers, or what story anyone has to tell, let no one be deceived, all goes to the same market. It may not make much sense at the moment, but the day will come when the very students who were affected by this strike, those who avoided it by way of being in private universities and those who had the privilege of studying abroad will apply for the same job opportunities, the bitter truth being that the employer will not give you a plain sheet of paper and ask you to write an essay regarding how the strike affected your academic performance adversely or why you should be preferred over a candidate that studied in a private university considering the fact that the strike affected you adversely. This may not sound nice but it is true and truth doesn’t always sound nice. As it stands, I in more ways than one, I am Affected even as tens of millions of other Nigerians are also affected but somehow, and pray that a consensus be reach between the Federal Government and ASUU as soon as possible. So my simple advice is this: don’t fold your hands and do nothing. Apply for internship if you have to, learn a trade, learn a skill, just do something in line with your dream. If you plan to be a writer, begin to write now. If you plan to be a fashion designer, use this time sign up with a mentor and keep going there every day while ASUU soughts out the problems with the Federal Government. The truth is that someone would eventually suffer the aftermath of the strike, but it doesn’t have to be you. I remember the Jobberman story- three students who were caught up in an ASUU strike they never bargained for. They had time in their hands, little skill and almost no money but they didn’t fold their hands. They were not the only ones affected by that strike but today, that simple move has resulted in the creation of Nigeria’s number one job site, making it amazingly possible for those three young men to be able to employ dozens of workers. If you are the type that likes reading, there are many universities like MIT and Cambridge that offer free standalone courses. Find out the ones that appeal to you, register and learn. If you are a budding doctor or programmer, volunteer as a student doctor in the hospital nearest to you or computer center as the case may be. Learn all you can, for one day, you will be thankful you did. The truth is, the percentage of the people who end up in career they didn’t study for is higher than those who do and business is more interesting when what you do is what you thoroughly enjoy. So step out, be yourself, be creative and best of all, do something in the direction of your dreams.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:51:55 +0000