DIFFERENT STROKES, With Rev Canon Chinemerem Uche: THE NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE BROUHAHA AND WHAT OUR YOUTHS CAN DO.

DIFFERENT STROKES

With Rev Canon Chinemerem Uche. 

THE NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE BROUHAHA AND WHAT OUR YOUTHS CAN DO.

It was quite a sad news to hear of the tragic death of some youths who went for the Job test of the Nigeria Immigration Service. The crowd that filled the various stadiums used to conduct the test was quite stunning. It was as if Barcelona FC was playing against Chelsea FC. There is no use joining issues with those calling for the head of the Minister for Interior, this piece is a way of lending a voice to our unemployment challenge. 

Every generation has its own challenges. There was a time in this country when employers of labour went to the few higher institution of learning available then to recruit graduates to work in their companies. Once one graduated in the early sixties to sometime in the seventies getting a job was not as herculean as it is today. Things have changed greatly today and the number of graduates chasing jobs far outweighs the number of available jobs. Our educational system should have changed for long, to address this situation but, rather than do this, our system has ended up raising an army of certificate welding youths who have the capacity to worry over their situation without the capacity to think. The result of this is that we have a vast army of unemployable graduates or graduates who lack innovation. We are still lagging behind with our mentality of getting a “Government Job” or getting into politics, as means of solving our unemployment challenge. 

There is a large mass of gullible youths who are defrauded of thousands of Naira in their bid to secure jobs, others are defrauded by con men who masquerade as Pastors, claiming to offer prayers that will grant them “breakthrough into the miraculous and unlimited opportunities.” The kind of messages we hear these days of “Jobs locating you, instead of you locating a job” “You will locate the bearer of your blessings” or “God will break protocols to give you a job” has re-engineered the mind-set of many to think that after graduation all they need is to just sit and probably recite these so-called “rhema” and the job will come. I still wonder how many people have encountered jobs that way. The answer to this can be found in the teeming army of the unemployed who are willing tools in the hands of marauding politicians and Islamic extremists. 

The key to the future today is in skill development. Gone are the days we think that there are certain jobs reserved for graduates. We must take up the challenge of “Anu gbaa ajo oso, a gbiila ya ajo egbe.” –If the game (bush meat) escapes through a great flight we march it with the right bullets. We must begin now to think of skills, different from our certificates, which can either make us self-employed or position us at the fore front where we shall become the beautiful brides of employers of labour. Permit me to ask our undergraduates, “What skill did you acquire during the six months ASUU strike? What will you be doing at home while waiting for six months or more before you go for youth service? What do you use your spare time to do? To watch home movies? What skills do you have to offer that can set you above your certificate and peers?”

Do you know that while you are facebooking somebody (Mark Zukerberg the inventor of Facebook) is smiling to the bank? Mark Zukerberg decided to do something; he added a skill to his learning. When I mean skill, I mean a little extra that makes you extra ordinary. For instance in my pastoral area of calling, there are many pastors all over the place but there are some pastors whose presence and skilful delivery of sermons sets a hitherto dull and drab pulpit and pew aglow! Today Mark Zukerberg has revolutionised the internet!

In 2011 during the state of the State of the Union address, President Barrack Obama said, “None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be, or where the new jobs will come from. Thirty years ago, we couldn't know that something called the internet would lead to an economic revolution. What can we do –What America does better than anyone is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We are the nation that puts cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America innovation doesn't just change our lives. It’s how we make a living.” I feel proud that Barak Obama can quote the labours of American heroes past and present. I also feel ashamed that we can hardly list our own heroes who have utilized opportunities given to them -not to expand their business and family or clannish empires but to better the live s of the society. We sing in our anthem, “The labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain.” Where are our heroes? 

Let me share my experience with you. As pastor I do not just sit down and pray for members to attend church, I work for it. I think a lot about how to bring more people to church, how to retain them and still not compromise the word of God. I take time to preach life application messages because I believe in the long run. Messages that give a false sense of growth will create momentary or short-lived feeling of euphoria but will later result to greater frustration by the time you discover that the sound of the kola when it is chewed does not depict that it is sweet. –oji e jila atola a kwu kwuruu! Through realistic messages, people are armed for the realistic future. They become better citizens, better husbands and wives and better followers or bosses. Those who follow reality may not have all the money to throw around, but they can confidently boast of being successful as well as fulfilled. John Maxwell in his book, “Thinking For A Change”, wrote of highly educated people who are highly unsuccessful, college professors with PhDs who cannot manage their lives effectively. He also mentions people like Bill Gates, Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, drop-outs who became very successful. He concluded by stating that knowledge has value only in the hands of someone who has the ability to think well. People must learn to think well to achieve their dreams and to reach their potential.

During his keynote address to Students in 2013 Arc Amaugo Ugoji stated “The world you see today is ruled by creative thinkers; every tower builder is a tower thinker. Pursue your career with vigour and in doing so, be courageous and original.” Furthermore, I believe that if you develop a can-do spirit with a motivating catch phrase ‘YES, I CAN’, challenges cease to be intimidating. Please know emphatically that those who think, lead; those who do not, follow. So keep thinking. Think of eternity, think of your academic goal and think of your social responsibilities. Just think, think and keep thinking and never stop. Otherwise you are dead or ‘follow-follow’. Our Lord Jesus while on earth was a great thinker and he often challenged people by asking them questions or throwing challenges at them. In his parable of The Three Servants, the Lord who gave the servant one talent expected him to deliver, despite the small amount. In other words he wanted him to become productive in his thinking. Our Lord Jesus lamented also that the sons of darkness appear to show more wisdom than the Children of light in being creative (Luke 16:8).

We must rise to occasion in this end time by subjecting ourselves to God’s command which is: God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it (Gen 1:28).
Only those who take up the challenge to subdue their world will become definitely fruitful and greatly productive. (Note: This implies a creative exploration of the world to bring its resources to bear on the quality of lives positively. The Lord here, did not say indulge the world.) I challenge you to rise to the occasion, you can make it, the sky is far away yet it is your limit, you can conquer the sky. I believe that you can fly. I believe that the great man or woman Nigeria is looking for is reading this piece and willing to sing with me:
I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands
With Jesus I can make it
With Him I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way
My life is in your hands.

Canon Chinemerem Uche, Pastor and social media activist. 08064961010. Facebook: Revd Canon Chinemerem Uche.

Editor’s Note: The views and opinions of our guest columnists do not in any way reflect or represent the views, standpoint or editorials policy of Nigerian Hotline Newspaper.

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