Trapped in a House of Seven Women / Chapter 2: Certificate Without Sense
Trapped in a House of Seven Women

Trapped in a House of Seven Women

Author: Joshua Kelly


Chapter 2: Certificate Without Sense

If you study mechanical engineering for university and you no wan work for factory, that your certificate na just like beggar bowl—only good to beg for road.

True true, for Naija, engineering certificate na only paper if you no get connect. Na only people wey sabi hustle dey find their way. Some of my mates dey sell phone, some dey drive bolt. Me sef dey reason: which way I go waka?

When I see the kind job wey mechanical companies dey offer for job fair, my heart dey vex no be small.

Dem go dress stage, dey carry banner, dey talk big grammar. But salary na yeye. I just dey look dem, dey calculate wetin I fit chop with that kind money. For this Lagos, 70k na only transport and pure water e fit buy.

Monthly salary: 70,000 naira, with performance bonus. Dem go give you house, but you go find your own food chop. Take-home: 200,000+.

Na which kind performance bonus be that? Dem want make I go war front rescue hostage? Even for northern Cameroon, dem no go try scam person like this.

As I see am, na only Sallah ram dem fit give as bonus. But na still story. I dey wonder if na only me dey see the scam, or my mates no just dey reason am.

Monthly salary: 55,000, food and house dey, chance to grow dey.

See as the factory small, you dey tell me say chance to grow dey?

All of us wey dey there just dey look ourselves, dey smile like mumu. We dey hear 'chance to grow', but the factory na one warehouse with three machines.

Na the wahala wey dey face every undergraduate: make I do federal recruitment test or continue school?

But for mechanical engineering people, na fake wahala. No federal job dey for us, so na only to go do masters sure pass.

If you no be lawyer or doctor, federal job fit be like mirage. For we wey study engine, na just to gather paper dey find where to land. For my set, na only one person get job for government side—and na connection.

So I quietly join people wey dey prepare for post-graduate exam.

As I dey study, sometimes hunger go dey show for my face, but I still press on. Na only hope dey drive me. Some days, I go dey library till dem off light.

My family no get money. My papa and mama try their best to train me for four years. Now wey I don graduate, na to help them rest, no be to add more wahala. I no even fit open mouth ask them for money again, so I dey do small small work just to survive, and I don see as life be—both good and bad side.

Sometimes, I go remember how mama go hustle for market, dey fry akara till hand black. Papa go waka from Igbo-Etiti to market, dey push wheelbarrow. I tell myself say if I go ask dem for money again, na bad thing. So anything I get, I dey manage am. Na so man dey grow for Nigeria.

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