Only graduates with ‘long legs’ get employed in Nigeria – Rochas Foundation

Nigerian graduates who don’t have contacts with privilege and highly placed government executives are at the receiving end of unemployment challenge in Nigeria.
Director General of Rochas Foundation, Ucy Okorocha stated this at a press conference in Abuja, saying that it was a major challenge that must be addressed by the Federal government.

She said, effort of government and private entities in providing education must be rolled up in providing jobs for graduates, insisting that it was those with connection and what they called, “long-leg”, in the Nigeria parlance that normally secure jobs.
Explaining how it becomes very harrowing for the children of poorest of the poor to become graduates only to end up jobless, Miss Okorocha said the Federal government should expand the economy through productive policies to accommodate them.
“They don’t have the contact to secure the jobs as is the common practice in our country. It is for this reason that we kindly call on federal government of Nigeria to consider these graduates.

She lamented at the recent disclosure by the Federal Ministry of Education that over “ten million children have abandoned school for street trading for family survival.
“As you are aware, over 10 million children are out of school in Nigeria primarily due to poverty, instead of education and its benefits.
“They engage in street trading to help them and their family for survival. Recently, the Federal ministry of education had announced this ugly situation which it said was making frantic effort to address,” Ucy said.