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In the bustling heart of Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub, lives a young woman named Amaka, a 28-year-old university graduate who represents the reality faced by millions of Nigerian youths. Amaka graduated top of her class from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she studied Microbiology. She had high hopes, believing her degree would be her passport to a better life. But like many others in today’s Nigeria, the promises of education were soon overshadowed by the harsh truth of a society marred by unemployment, corruption, and economic instability.
After completing her mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, Amaka returned to Lagos to begin her job search. Every day, she would rise early, armed with her credentials and determination, visiting offices, applying online, and attending interviews. But after nearly two years of constant rejection, she realized a degree was no longer enough. The phrase “experience required” was a constant barrier. Employers wanted skills she didn’t have, or connections she couldn’t afford.
Frustrated but not broken, Amaka began freelancing as a makeup artist. She had learned the skill from YouTube during her university days. With the little savings she had, she bought basic equipment and started offering her services around her neighborhood. Word spread fast due to her talent, and she began getting clients. But the struggle didn’t end there.
Amaka’s story is not isolated. She lives in a rented one-room apartment in Ajegunle, a densely populated and impoverished area of Lagos. Her neighbors, mostly young people like herself, all have similar tales — graduates turned roadside vendors, engineers turned okada riders (motorcycle taxi drivers), and computer scientists hawking wares under the hot sun.
Her closest friend, Tunde, once had dreams of becoming a software developer. He was passionate and skilled, but due to a lack of stable electricity and internet access, he could not maintain freelance clients abroad. Eventually, Tunde gave up and started working as a Point of Sale (POS) agent, operating a small kiosk where people withdraw and transfer money — a business that has become popular in Nigeria due to the unreliable banking system.
One particular night, a heavy rainstorm flooded the streets. Amaka’s room was inundated, and she lost some of her work equipment. There were no proper drainage systems in the area, and the government had long neglected their responsibilities. When she visited the local government office the following week to report the damage, she was met with bureaucracy, dismissiveness, and a suggestion that “something small” (a bribe) could speed things up.
The irony was not lost on Amaka. The same officials who lived in opulence were indifferent to the plight of the people they were elected to serve. She saw it daily — how the rich got richer, often through shady means, while the masses toiled. Nigeria, despite being rich in resources and talent, was suffering from leadership failure, mismanagement, and a broken system.
Yet, amidst all this, there is resilience. Amaka did not give up. She started again, this time offering online classes to aspiring makeup artists. She saved gradually, bought new tools, and even began organizing small beauty workshops. Social media became her platform to grow, and soon, she attracted attention beyond her community. She started receiving clients from across Lagos and got featured in a local blog highlighting young entrepreneurs defying the odds.
Her story, though filled with hardship, reflects a common Nigerian reality. The country is brimming with intelligent, capable, and creative youths who are forced to become survivalists due to lack of opportunity. The economy continues to falter under inflation, currency devaluation, and poor governance. The gap between the rich and poor widens daily, with the middle class almost extinct.
Amaka’s journey is ongoing, and while she has managed to carve a space for herself, many others are not as fortunate. Every day, more graduates join the labor market, and the streets swell with untapped potential. Until there is real structural change — in governance, infrastructure, and economic policy — Nigeria’s youth will continue to improvise just to survive.
Her story is one of pain, perseverance, and potential. It is a mirror of today’s Nigeria — a nation with limitless possibilities, trapped in the grip of its own contradictions.
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