An Honest Open Letter to Nigerian Youths

Dear Nigerian Youths, Keep your Degree in safe custody for future opportunity, and engage in entrepreneur skills, otherwise, you will die poor.

Most of the educated people in Nigeria are poor. The majority of the educated earn less than N55,000 for a salary before tax and other deductions. When the deductions are put into consideration, the net salary comes to around N50,000. The net salary then suffers from loan deductions of up to N15,000 leaving the salary at around N35,000. The landlord then demands his N15,000 and monthly shopping takes away N10,000 leaving one with a N10,000. The bus will demand N300 going to and from work and relatives get another N2,500. The whole salary is gone and borrowed money starts operating. The borrowed money includes short loans and salary advances.

The difference between poverty and prosperity is property. A prosperous person has property to his name while a poverty stricken person has no property to show. Using this understanding, therefore, most of the degree holders are poverty stricken, borrowing money to buy chicken and chips, pizza, and a car.

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The biggest excuse for getting paid such low amounts of money and having to sit and work for another person for 30 days is THE DEGREE that one possesses and that’s all. This has made most of the degree holders very poor to poverty stricken and will die that way most likely.

A degree holder does not know how to generate money unless that money is generated for the employer. A degree holder is so dependent on the salary that he can do anything to get a job but will not think of starting a business of his own to employ others.

Interesting Facts!

1. A degree holder is not prepared to sell chips but is very happy to work for hungry lion (companies).
2. A degree holder is not prepared to sell popcorn in the street but is very happy to work for the Dangote outlet in the city and river-sides.
3. A degree holder is not prepared to sell second-hand clothes but is very happy to be employed by Zenith Bank which the business of selling stocks and looking for customers in a scorching Sun.
4. A degree holder is not prepared to make N150,000 monthly doing his own business but is very happy to work at the till in a bank getting paid N25,000.
5. A degree holder is not prepared to start a company and grow it in two to three years but will spend three years searching for a job.
6. A degree holder is not prepared to sell food to students but will be happy to be reporting to a boss with no qualifications as Office Assistant as long as he is paid N30,000 for a salary.
7. A degree holder is so eager to get out of this country and work in another country than spend time developing his own country.
8. A degree holder staying in a foreign land (Nigerian) is very keen to condemn Nigeria but never contributes to the development of this country.
9. A Nigerian degree holder would rather sweep the streets of London or the USA than start a business to make money in her fatherland – others work in people’s homes doing some work (cleaners).
10. A degree holder in Nigeria will watch porn on his laptop but never sit to write a book using the same laptop to sell and make money.
11. A degree holder will blame the government for the lack of jobs even after he was on a government bursary for him to have his degree.
12. Nigeria is blessed with young people who have master’s degrees and others are doctors in different technical fields such as IT and Engineering but all of them have failed to create a cartoon character or develop a movie from the same instead very happy to buy Tom and Jerry for their children thereby promoting foreign economies.

In a school I once visited, there is a man that is of a very humble background. He does not speak English but sells Coke, Fanta and Sprite at N80 each making a profit of N10 on each drink. He also sells chips at N50 making a profit of N17 on each portion. No less than 80 students buy chips and a drink every single day. This means he makes a profit of N27 for a drink and chips and a total profit of N2,160 per day…every single day. In ten days he makes a profit of N21,600 in twenty days N43,200 and in thirty days N64,800.

The degree holder working in a bank at the till gets a salary of N45,000 every month.

Why are the degree holders poor?

Because they have decided to pride themselves on a degree and failed to think better than a man who does not have even a certificate to his name.

Degree holders spend their time liking articles on Linkedin and Facebook but never have any care in the world to implement what they like. Poverty starts from the mind, a mind that just likes things but never implements those things.

If you want to progress, keep that degree and start thinking better than someone without a degree. There’s no white-collar Job anywhere bro!

Be prepared to get your hands dirty and work like an ox for your business. Your hard work will pay off.

Think Success!!! Think Entrepreneurship!!!

2020 LETTER TO YOUTH by Prof Benard Odoh