How government made me become okada rider – UNN Graduate

Temitope Aladesanwa, a 38-year-old Bachelor’s degree holder, has shared his decision to become a commercial motorcyclist due to the challenges he faced in securing government employment.

Aladesanwa, who graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2014, expressed his desire to work with government agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

However, his applications were repeatedly denied due to age requirements.

Faced with the frustration of multiple failed attempts to secure a government job, Aladesanwa made the difficult decision to become a commercial motorcyclist in order to provide for his family. Married with two children, he recognized the need to find an alternative means of income.

He said, “The first problem I had after my youth service was that companies were requesting five to 10 years of job experience. Over the years, it became the issue of age because I was around 30 when I completed my youth service but now, I am 38. Most of the jobs out there now are requesting a lower age.

“In the past, I applied to the NSCDC, immigration and the police. In fact, I wanted to apply for the immigration recruitment that was done last year, but having seen the age limit, I couldn’t because it would just be another wasted effort. It is painful that I spent a lot of money schooling and ended up doing this work; this was not the reason I went to school to obtain my degree.”

Similarly, Omotoso Ajiboye, a Higher National Diploma holder in Accounting from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, also shared his story of abandoning his dreams and settling for menial jobs.

Despite completing his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program at the age of 30, Ajiboye faced numerous rejections in his job search, which led him to reassess his career aspirations.

Ajiboye initially aimed to become an Accountant, but circumstances forced him to change his trajectory.

The challenging employment landscape compelled him to accept menial jobs in order to make ends meet.

He said; “This was not what I planned for myself. My aspiration was to become an accountant and that was why I did my National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Accounting, but as you can see, this is what I found myself doing.

“I was already 30 years old when I graduated and many of the companies I applied to were looking for graduates between 25 and 28 years old. After some time, I got tired of looking for a job. A few years ago, my elder brother bought me this Okada; that’s how I joined this business.”