The long wait finally came to an end on Monday, September 23, with the arrival of Marguisa Shipping Line’s container vessel. It has been 13 years of hope and wait since concession for the Calabar Seaport was given. However, the development has opened a door of “other ports” possibility in the region; that’s, if the challenges are met.

A draft of 9.4 meters is required in the calabar seaport, because newly built ships come with higher tonnages that lower meters cannot sustain. For instance, the vessel that docked in Calabar Seaport on Monday has a length of 116.23 meters, gross tonnage of 6569 and net tonnage of 2874. And like the Calabar Seaport, there is a need to dredge the waters to the recommended 9.4 meters.

It took about a decade for the Nigerian Port Authority to do the needful, and it’s a job half done. Other ports in the east, Delta Port, Onne Port and Rivers Port (which all have a draught of 6.4 meters) need 13 to 14 meters’ draft to function, but there is more.

Experts say the possibility of the functionality of the ports depends on their ability to attract huge vessels like the Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC), and Ultra Large Crude Carriers (ULCC). And that involves a lot of work that don’t depend on the management of those ports alone, the NPA plays a bigger role. And it may take forever before they take the steps.

Insecurity is a major challenge that neither the ports nor NPA can do anything about. The piracy activities in the creeks have kept sailors at a distance, and those who dared to sail the eastern waters do so with extreme caution.

The eastern ports are functioning on the International Ships Ports Security (ISPS) code 2, which indicates the low security situation in the region. It has been reported that sailors that berth and discharge in those ports find it scary to move in the night.

So they wait for the day at a very high cost of about $7,500 per hour. Even at that, the day isn’t safe for them since pirates can attack the vessels and kidnap members of the crew for ransom. The functionality of the ports depends on the number of vessels berthing at the ports from different countries of the world. Insecurity in the region is a risk many vessel companies don’t want take even when the ports have met the international standard of operation.

The debilitating condition of roads in the region has also stood in the way of haulage. Truck drivers are finding it difficult to cope with bad roads and poor road networks. Heavy artillery vehicles operating from the ports spend weeks on trips they should spend days.

Trucks getting stuck, some falling and there are breakdowns due to bad roads. Although there are few containers to clear now, it will become a problem when there is more.

The southeast and south-south governors, knowing the economic opportunities that lie in the region if the seaports work in their full capacities, should develop a blueprint of a sustainable mechanism that will tackle these challenges.

Some of my online connections that recently completed their undergraduate programmes, sent me messages requesting for guidance on how to start the next phase of their career.

I consider that moves plausible because the increasing level of competition for entry level jobs is leaving many people highly vulnerable victims of “long waiting” before first job is secured. The reason for this situation is of course, partly associated with the reality of “too many individuals pursuing too few jobs”. With this reality in view, how then can a young graduate go about things differently instead of having “joining the bandwagon” as the only option?

This brings to mind a saying “There are many ways to kill a rat ” which as kids, we used to remind another daring child, that is proving difficult to handle, that his or her case will be dealt with one way or the other.

Presently, the daring ‘rat’ in the lives of many Nigerian graduates is “getting a job fast after NYSC”. How can one avert waiting for several months/ years to do so? Refer here, for a personal account of how I got my first job, two weeks after national service, through showcasing of useful contributions I made during my NYSC programme.

The focus of this discussion is to present a guide which a prospective corps member can adopt prior to  mobilization for national service and during the service year to fast track getting a job through internship position.

What NYSC Internship Opportunities Can Offer

I got to know about the importance of internship opportunities for corps members, when a colleague in my first place of work, narrated to me how his brother was retained by the firm where he did his national service. Then when I was hunting for my next job, one of the companies in which I was interested provided three channels through which they recruit. These included NYSC internship, entry level recruitment and experienced hires. The implication of this is that a corps member can, by distinguishing him or herself in such an establishment, become a permanent staff, without going through the rigorous process of job hunting and securing one, after national service.

Bearing this in mind, a prospective Corps member should be careful to deliberately shift attention from the popular jostling to secure postings to states that pay higher “allawee” to focusing on securing postings to institutions which offer an opportunity to gain ‘career lift’.

How To Secure NYSC Members Internship

Prior to NYSC mobilization, a prospective Corps member who is interested in securing an internship position, should do the following:

• (1) make a list of the firms he/she is interested to work with
• (2) Verify that the firms have openings for NYSC interns. This can be done by logging into their websites.
• (3) For firms that have openings, follow the guide provided and register. Note that some big firms require prospective interns to register and notify them three months prior to the date the prospective interns will be available.
• (4) Follow-up

Targets of a NYSC Intern

The dream of every progressive organization is to have the right man or woman for the right role. This is so critical for minimizing cost and accelerating growth. That’s why companies invest so much in the rigors of ensuring that they have the right individuals that’s suitable for their mission.

Securing an internship position in a firm of interest, offers a corps member an opportunity to demonstrate through quality and exemplary Service, that he/she is the kind of person the company wants to work with permanently. To this end, the individual must shift attention from “working for money only” to “doing more than paid for”, because the future depends on it. Here’s a guide

(1) Demonstrate resourcefulness in the performance of your role: The only way you can sustainably endear yourself to an organization you work with is by doing the job you should do and doing it very well.

(2) Build thriving connection with your boss and other persons in the organization: Not doing a job well and doing a good job that no one knows nothing about is not good at all here. If you get number one above right, it will be easier to develop thriving connection with those that matter in your firm.

(3) Volunteer for works which needs to be done but it appears no one is doing: Whereas you wouldn’t be helping yourself or your organization by leaving your tasks undone to volunteer for another, you’ll certainly win good scores for yourself by doing your job well and volunteering were needed.

(4) Tell your boss your intention: After you have created a niche for yourself in the heart of your boss, through resourceful deeds, find an ideal opportunity to let your boss know your interest to remain with the organization, to continue to render essential services / utilize your skills to solve problems and request for his or her recommendation to that end. Your good works will be doing the rest of the basic verification of your qualification while you focus on working with your boss or any other relevant person to make your dream come true.

If you have demonstrated through valuable contributions, that you are an ideal person to work with the firm, getting you onboard as a permanent staff is in their interest. It will save them lots of hiring cost. So it’s actually a win-win for you and the entity.

According to McKinsey, Artificial Intelligence will redesign the operating systems of various industries. It would make many sectors to become intelligent, fueled by data. The transformative effects will be felt in agriculture, education, energy, logistics and manufacturing, and in the process will contribute $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Rise Networks, Nigeria’s premier AI powered learning, research and work readiness centre, that created  ISE, the first career coach job Bot in West Africa, has launched a National Artificial Intelligence Ideathon for game changing ideas  which will fix frictions in education, agriculture, healthcare and financial inclusion.

This AI Ideathon is open to data scientists, students, academicians,  working professionals, developers and other enthusiasts across Nigeria who will develop innovative solutions that will solve various paralysis in the country and encourage industry focused research and development that will birth AI innovations to transform various sectors. 

Winners will get an opportunity to present their AI applications to public sector decision makers, C-Suite players, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists who will help them execute and scale their solutions.

They will also be rewarded with modern work tools such as a 2018 13 inch Apple Macbook Pro+ $1000, a 13.5 inch Microsoft Surface Book 2, a 13 inch 2018 Apple Macbook Air along with the publication of their ideas in The Rise Labs National AI Innovation ebook, mentorship by AI thought leaders in Nigeria and around the globe, national public recognition and opportunity to network and fundraise at Workplan’s‘’Africa’s Action Plan on Education and the Future of Work for the Youth’’ on November 23rd 2019. Besides, they will get a free 3-6 months workspace, incubation and technical support at Rise Labs.

Entry submissions began on August 19th 2019 and will end on September 30th 2019.  Participants must be 18 years and above while minor must have the consent of their parents or guardians.

Nigeria needs AI powered ideas to solve some of her challenges in security, education, healthcare, agriculture, logistics and transportation, retail, manufacturing, oil and gas, justice delivery to transition to an intelligent economy.