Firstly, this post is addressed to my “mates” who are currently on NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) and young folks out there. If there’s anything very important to a young man or lady who is out of school (higher institution) or who is qualified for the world of work, it is a good job and a stable income.

Now, I know the country is very hard and access to good jobs is also very hard but I have this to say from my observation so far. 

1. Please make up your life about your career: Honestly speaking, I am not trying to sound like one god up there. There are still many juvenile adults out there who really get on my nerves when we have discussions about career and life. The responses I get most times are. “whatever will be will be”.

I am here to say “whatever will not be willing not be”. Nigeria is a hell of a country, and depression and frustration is so real. See, too many words are coming to mind but I can only type a few.

I often hear excuses like “there are no opportunities here” Are you really sure about that claim. Don’t you use an Android phone. Remember, I said I’m no god but I don’t believe in giving excuses for some present setbacks. Do something to yourself. Why not spend nights learning something more relevant.

Well, only those who really cherish this will see the value.

2. Take a chill pill: There’s something called pressure and trust me, I have faced worse last year. While mine doesn’t seem to be as regards seeking for jobs and all directly, it was regarding seeking for funds to keep my startup running. However, there’s going to be much pressure based on the fear of “after service, what next”.

Now, I’m not just assuming this, I’m raising this point because at this point I’ve seen so many folks rush into so many things at the same time. I want to learn this, I want to learn that, and start this business and start that business, all at the same time. Please, you don’t need so many things at the same time. Start from just a simple place.

Most preferably, start by getting a job, start by working! If you have not wired up yourself for entrepreneurship, then don’t venture into it immediately after your service. 

3. Learn a digital skill: Now, this is exactly why I wrote this post. A digital skill could be common Microsoft Excel; it is a skill. See, stop procrastinating about this skill thing, it’s not difficult; it’s something you can do while you’re currently on service. Now, I know nobody is telling you but when you begin to run from one seminar to the other, you’d realize that you really need it. It will be demanded of you by organizations.

When the word “skill” is mentioned, it’s not necessarily coding; it may not be marketing. Please go and ask friends about which skills will be best for you to learn. I have learnt business development, content marketing, business strategy, marketing strategy over the course of a year.

4. Maximize LinkedIn or job platforms: Well, as you can see, I don’t currently work as a full time employee. I work based on services as I run my startup, so it might sound like I’m not the best person to give you this piece of advice.

Well, just switch over to LinkedIn, spend time on it daily. You can follow me because I’m working on something huge. However, just pay attention to conversations around what HRs are saying. Get to know the reality, the pros and cons of jobs search. You might get job offers.

I moved to LinkedIn a month again and I’ve gotten two job offers which to me wasn’t appealing, it might to some folks though but the point is that I got.

If Twitter is where you stand higher chances of getting a job, then move; if it’s Instagram, go there. Know where you belong. You should be in the face of these companies.

If you want me to teach you how, it’s not free as well but I’m not even here to sell myself at all. My major concern is that we should all have jobs, good ones and break through in this hard economy.

Finally, I’ll end with this; Pray! As much as you grind, pray!! I believe in supernatural favour, I believe in miracles, I believe God blesses and sends help. I pray for opportunities myself seeing I haven’t arrived yet, I need lots of connections and ingredients in my company, so I pray because I have and I’m still working hard on it.

There have been so many incidents and accounts of suicides in the higher institutions in Nigeria in recent times, especially those owned and operated by governments at state and federal levels. There are more than four accounted suicides just in the University of Benin in the last 3 months.

The university should be an institution of learning where people are molded in learning and in character, and should not be where life is marred. It should be a place where life is given and should not be a place where life is taken. It should be a melding ground and should not be a burial ground. It should be a place where life is given a meaning and not where life is frustrated. When the reverse becomes the case, and the university becomes a burial ground for promising young lives, then this should be a great cause of worry.

On 14th of May, 2019, it was reported that one Mr. Chukwuemeka Akachi, a 400 level student of the department of English and Literary Studies in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) committed suicide. Also, the media reported that  a 100 level student of Kogi State University took her life; same story for another student of University of Port Harcourt who was said to have taken sniper and died.

It was reported by the media in the month of June that a 300 level student of the department of Medical Laboratory Science of University of Benin committed suicide; three weeks later, it was also reported that a student of that same University of Benin committed suicide by jumping off one of the high buildings in the school, smashing his head against the ground.

All these examples are not made to disrespect the dead or to pinch the family and friends of the deceased, but to support this narrative with cases, and so it won’t just seem like a mere blab.

Just this year, more than thirty suicide cases have been reported by the media to have taken place in the universities and other higher Institutions in Nigeria. Possibly, there are unreported cases not covered by the media.

Let it be said that death could happen anywhere and anytime, but the institution of learning is where lives are made; hence recent regular occurrences of suicide should be a national issue, and not swept under the carpet. 

For two students to have died through suicide within a month in the same university should be a great cause of worry, and alarm should be raised to look into the reasons behind these recents ugly incidents.

Since it’s suicide, and the individuals are acclaimed to have taken their lives by themselves, hence are no longer alive to narrate their stories of why they resort to suicides, and the reason they feel their lives don’t worth living again, the findings may be hard. But commonsensically, the reasons that could push an individual to think of suicide and executing the thought could be emotional, psychological or mental. The major reasons why people resort to taking their lives is when they feel they don’t deserve to live again, their lives have no meaning and they feel it is worthless living the lives. 

Quick research and questionnaire carried out in the campuses of the higher institutions in Nigeria point fingers towards one direction – the Nigerian higher Institutions, especially the public ones, are associated with stress, 

The psychological, emotional, mental and physical stress that students of higher Institutions in Nigeria go through on a daily basis in pursuit of their education is a threat to life. This points pokes a hand to the federal government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Education to review and revise the programs of higher Institutions as this is long overdue.

Moreover, most higher Institutions In Nigeria, especially public ones have no facilities that could take care of emotionally, mental and psychological well being of a student since all they care for is the educational well being of a student and nothing else matters. Schools should know that a student needs to be in a good state of mind to study, go to classes, and write examinations/tests.

A lecturer of a student is said to stand in loco parentis for the student, hence the lecturer doesn’t have only the duty to come into the classroom and teach, but have a duty to check on the well being of the students. This  cannot be said of the Nigerian University lecturers as most of them are sexual perverts, extortionists and sadists, always looking for students to prey on, and these actions and inactions of universities lecturers have pushed a lot of students to resorting to suicide.

Most importantly, parents and guardians should always check out on their wards, if your ward cannot open up to you no matter what, then you have failed as a parent. No matter how big or matured a university student may seem, the individual still need love, care and attention from their loved ones and lack of it could push a student into ending his or her life.

Whilst some commit suicide due to emotional, psychological and mental trauma, others commit out of financial instability and insecurity; all this points out to the fact that a University student needs care and attention. Most times, speaking up ends up compounding the issues because of speaking up to the wrong persons. Hence, even those that work in the universities guidance and counseling centres haven’t made so much impact because if they are working, the rate of suicide in the universities wouldn’t be on rise as it is in recent times.

Suicide is not an option; whatever it is, you can overcome it.

I met a young mother that newly moved into our street. I saw her in someone’s shop, braiding someone’s hair. That was the first time I saw her. I was told by the shop owner that she’s good in hairdressing. I wasn’t so keen to have her as my hairdresser but I promised I will give her a try. She doesn’t have a salon, but I didn’t see that as an issue. I mean she can do home services, right? So, this week I asked her to come over to my house to plait my hair, which she did.

During the exercise, I noticed that she uses oil for my hair and the attachment instead of the usual hair pomade. I found out that the oil she’s using is made from our local pear and that she is the one that extracts it. In fact she told me she sells them whenever she is able to get enough pears to produce the oil in large quantity. She expressed her fear on how she will keep the market going when pears go out of season. I encouraged her to save up money from hairdressing charges to invest in that. She said she won’t because she doesn’t have a salon yet, which she said was her major target for now.

She complained that nobody wanted to help her with the money for renting a shop and equipping the salon. I advised her to put up signs at the front of her house and at some strategic places around so that people will know about her and her home-made oils. This idea didn’t go down well with her because she felt she was too big for such a thing – you know, people will look down on her if she can’t afford a salon, banners, posters, flyers and all. Besides, home-service wasn’t in her plan. It’s either a big salon or nothing. Oh well, I took a chance on someone I hardly know and my helping hand and ideas were thrown right back at me. So, she will have to keep waiting for someone to invest on opening a big well-equipped salon for her before she can produce more oil and advertise her business.

This type of situation isn’t peculiar to this lady. I know of so many people who had cases like hers. A distant relative of mine was one of them. He had his apprenticeship with someone from my hometown, but along the line they had a squabble and the relationship was severed. He came back to his parents’ house and refused to look for another place to continue his apprenticeship. He later approached a relative who he believed could provide him with a seed capital to start a business. This man he approached told him that he wasn’t ripe enough to go into a large-scale business. So he should either start it on a small scale or do some years of apprenticeship with him before he will help him (so I guess he wasn’t even comfortable with giving him much money). My cousin couldn’t bring himself down to accept any of these offers. Instead he started complaining that nobody wants to help him to progress.

So I ask, do we really contribute to our joblessness? Are we sure we haven’t been sending away our investors because we want to start big? How many people have reached out to us and later withdrew because they felt we don’t need them? Are we sending away our jobs and businesses?

I have known people who would rather sit down at home than go for that small job by the corner. Someone once told me that I should not take up small jobs because they will ‘block’ big ones from coming (I hope she has taken back her words). I know that some people get stuck in smaller jobs (story for another day) but should we decide to ignore a humble beginning because we are afraid we will get stuck? Everyone won’t be lucky to start it big. Even those that started small still make it big if they have vision and focus. Besides, we should see these small jobs and small scale businesses as training grounds for bigger things.

Sometimes the things we believe to be small may be something big in disguise. Take the case of the hairdresser as an example. If she accepts to put up a sign at the front of her house, she will attract a lot of customers because there is no hairdressing salon on the street (and a big street at that). But her reluctance could cost her a lot if she doesn’t act fast because someone else may see that business opportunity and grab it. And, if you look at it, she wouldn’t pay for a shop if she goes for home services, or uses her apartment as her make-shift shop. In fact, she will make more income from home-services because their charges are higher.

It is good to have big dreams, but it is also good to start small. Like I stated earlier, not everyone will be lucky to start big, and remain big. Starting big exposes us to bigger risks and investors may not be comfortable to entrust us with huge responsibilities unless they are sure their investments are safe. This is also true with employers who would rather not entrust a rookie with ‘juicy’ positions.

So I’ll say, let your business idea have a big picture, but don’t send away someone that will help you to start it small. Pick up that job and climb your way up.

Dream big, but you can start small.

“Cheapest way of shipping from China to Nigeria” and “Shipping from Nigeria to China” were amongst the most common queries over the past 12 months. China is the origin of 30% of the imported items into Nigeria. This is at least three times more than the runner up. Both countries have enjoyed an amicable trade relationship culminating in a bilateral currency swap agreement signed in 2018, said to be worth $2.5 Billion.

Shipping from China to Nigeria, especially container size cargo, requires caution and a fair understanding of the shipping process.

8 critical guidelines are provided as follows:

1. Select your trade terms carefully. If possible, seek the counsel of a legal mind if there are terms that are not understood.
2. For items that have singular packaging, ensure that the packages are designed for scale and in English.
3. Establish a means of quality control for items whilst they are still in China. It is within your reach to request for the manufacturers certificate of production with the relevant standards from your supplier. Lab test results may also be requested for food items.
4. Invest time and energy in building a good relationship with your supplier.
5. Incoterms should be looked into, with a bid to selecting the most appropriate for your cargo.
6. Paperwork is crucial! Obtain Form M, pro forma invoice, packing list and bill of lading well ahead of time.
7. Shipping documents from China must be filled correctly, with goods classified according to the appropriate HS code. This is vital for import duty calculations.
8. Stay updated with the list of import prohibited items and avoid such.

Once you are able to follow these steps, there should not be any hitches with your shipment as it voyages from the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

This is a Guest Post from Pinacrest Cargo