A STRUGGLING NIGERIAN YOUTH

I remember sharing a story about how, years ago after graduation, I struggled to find a job. To responsibly keep body and soul together while waiting for an opportunity, I visited a nearby estate to seek any daily menial work. After hours of knocking on doors and offering my services with no success, I grew exhausted and hungry. Defeated, I walked out of the estate gate and sat under a tree near some beggars to rest. Within six minutes, I watched those beggars receive over six thousand Naira from residents driving out of the estate.  

Growing up as an honest Nigerian youth often feels harder than trekking the Sahara Desert to Europe. Many well-to-do Nigerians preach "hard work" with their words but rarely support it with actions. Their "humanitarianism" often prioritizes camera-ready publicity. They’ll freely hand beggars thousands of Naira, yet hesitate to empower a determined young person seeking dignity through labor. It’s a painful irony: in a society that claims to value hustle, survival sometimes feels easier for those who beg than for those who strive.

Until the moment when will shall dance in white Greater Grace.

Oyugbo Osagie Jonah