Nigerian Graduates Stranded Abroad

A growing number of Nigerian graduates are stranded abroad. What seems like a chance at hitting on the storied Golden Fleece has turned out to be an energy-draining experience for them. They had conquered and broken academic records and had thought that present realities demand that they acquire a higher degrees from top schools abroad.

They were right. But what went wrong? Just about some many things went wrong. First the global migration of talent, we can see this from the ‘rise of the rest’ with the attendant coming of cheap and accessible human talents global. All these have been enabled by technology and the internet. More jobs were moving around the world but for a lower pay.

Then we witnessed the global financial meltdown, stagnation of Europe’s economy and the debt crises and the political challenge which has seen so many countries becoming protective of their own. They just hold down jobs for their people with London not the exception. Protectionism by these countries have hampered chances for foreign students, followed by disturbing regulations that make accessing of jobs we are qualified or better difficult. This has led to more Nigerians doing menial jobs overseas and dreading their coming to a country where their relatives hope hold high hopes on their return.

Right here at home, we have seen foreign firms import talent from their countries thereby making a ridicule of local content. Or even also, they take jobs that Nigerians can do overseas, also worsening the joblessness situation at home.

The truth is that a chunk of generation would have to contend with a low pay and probably a less flamboyant lifestyle like those of our parents and some of our peers too. How could our parents understand the forces of globalization and markets, outsourcing, emerging market dynamics, funny financial instruments and the others? Or how innovations came along and drastically reduced the need for a factory-like workforce? Maybe a deeper spiritual life could give us a better fulfillment where it is that a few of us would enjoy and celebrate the conquest of the corporate world.