The Life of a Job Seeker: Episode 2

Episode 2: Life in the University

Gaining admission to study a great course in a great institution is a beautiful thing that anyone should be happy about. However, for Kobi, the feeling was mixed. 

One moment he was delighted to be studying his dream course. In another moment, he was engulfed in depression imagining the pain and humiliation his siblings were enduring by dropping out of school to take up menial jobs to fund his education. His brother, Nathan was forced to work as a labourer in a bakery in their neighbourhood, while his 2 pretty sisters, Nana and Hannah now had to hawk bread and akara with his Mother, Mrs Doris after she closed from school as a Nanny.

Despite gaining admission into ABU Zaria, one of the most affordable and reputable Federal universities in Nigeria, he imagined how tough it would be for his family to fund his education for 5 years. He feared that they would not be able to raise enough money from their menial occupations to cover his tuition till the end. The wealthy among his Uncles, Mr. Julius was very stingy and cared less for Kobi’s family. Several times, Mr. Julius would request for their account details only to end up sending a pitiful amount or nothing, citing personal duties he had to attend to, despite the fact that he lived a luxury life with his family. The nicest of Kobi’s relatives were not financially buoyant. In the end, the hustle of his siblings and mother was what he had to look up to.

Kobi’s Resolve:

Bearing the grief of his father’s death while working hard to raise finances to support his education, and looking at the tremendous effort and sacrifice of his mother and siblings, Kobi swore to put his best into his education. After lectures, he would go to KIL (Kashim Ibrahim Library) to study. He was the brightest and most intelligent student in his class. As a result, he was affectionately referred to as “Guru” by lecturers, classmates, and many others who knew him.

Even though his mother and siblings could not afford good clothes, the best food, and so on, Kobi’s excellent performance in school helped them outlive their sufferings, gave them the zeal to work harder to fund his education with the belief that everything would be fine as soon as Kobi graduates from school and secures a good job. 

In addition to his intelligence, Kobi possessed a number of beautiful attributes that attracted a large number of people to him. These qualities include his humility, kindness, and willingness to assist others. However, Kobi believed that socializing with numerous people would distract him from his studies, so he resolved to form close relationship with only a very few people. He said to himself, “I’m not going to make more than six close pals in school; five (5) male buddies and one (1) girlfriend is enough”.

The question is, do you think this was a wise decision Kobi made?

While it is true that having too many friends can be distracting, failing to establish networks via meaningful relationships with relevant people can be of great disadvantage. I believe you would be convinced with this point as we delve more into Kobi’s ordeal.

Just as Kobi planned, his life in the University earned him a circle of 6 close friends; the best, the pompous, the bad influence, the lazy Nigerian youth, the drop-out, and the girlfriend.

Meet Kobi’s circle of friends:

The best: Although Faruq was from a different department (Mass Communications), he became Kobi’s closest and best friend after living together as roommates for 3 years. Just like Kobi, he was very intelligent and from an average family. 

The pompous: Kwasi was a pompous and dull guy from a wealthy home. He was Kobi’s course mate and constantly relied on Kobi during examination for answers. In his words “studying is not for people like me. I am only in school to get a certificate. A job by my Father is awaiting me in NNPC upon graduation regardless of my grade”.

The bad Influence: Femi, the bad influence was Kobi’s course mate. He was from an average family and had no interest in his course of study. He was passionate about Music but his parent wouldn’t allow him to do Music. As a result, he didn’t take his education seriously. You will get to know why I tagged him “the bad influence” as we dive further into the Life of a Job Seeker. 

The Lazy Nigerian Youth: Joewie, the lazy Nigerian Youth was from an average family. His course of study was Political Science. He became close with Kobi after they shared a room at 300 level. For Joewie, sleeping like someone bitten by a swarm of tsetse flies was his hobby. He only attended lectures whenever he felt like it. In his words “I don’t like stress. I can’t come and kill myself because of books”. He maintained a very close relationship with Kwasi hoping Kwasi’s connection would also bring him job luck upon graduation.

The Dropout: Emeka, the dropout was Kobi’s course mate and an orphan who had to work hard to cater for himself and his education. He was incredibly bright and passionate about schooling. However, supporting his education got tough in his second year of school so he dropped out and established a Poultry farm.

Do you think Emeka’s enthusiasm for education would motivate him to return to school? Or do you think he would prosper in his new venture? The future would tell!

Kobi’s girlfriend: Sophia, Kobi’s first love, was from the Department of Economics. She was a pretty and bright young lady from an average family. Prior to her relationship with Kobi, she promised herself that she would only date a handsome, wealthy, and intelligent dude with fine character. However, one of the qualities she sought in a lover was missing in Kobi: “the wealth”. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help the feelings of love she had for him. They both adored one another and promised to marry as soon as they were able to secure good employment after graduation.

The next question is, how would life treat Kobi and his circle of friends upon graduation?

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