Millions of Nigerian youths graduate from colleges, monotechnics, polytechnics, and universities every year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. When these graduates leave the four walls of schools, the hunt for jobs begins. It has always been a tough war for those who want to feed a family or impress friends. Sadly, there are little or no jobs, and in most cases, those who see ‘businesses’ as alternatives cannot afford the capital. It is indeed a miserable jungle.
In Nigeria, you cannot be a jobless graduate or job seeker in peace. There are some persons whose duty is likely to frustrate, exploit, and expose your situation to more danger and obscurity. They present themselves as better alternatives. They took advantage of the government’s failures to provide quality jobs or better approaches to businesses. They employ tactics to attract, weaken, and manipulate their victims. It is an organized establishment to wage war against education and the system. If these elements proffer better alternatives or solutions, this report would probably not be a necessity.
This report not only shows how some individuals dubiously lure desperate job seekers to a ‘drug networking business’ but it also shows how these job seekers are manipulated, exploited in cash, and emotionally and mentally harassed to submit for a specific purpose.
It also reveals the tactics they used to manipulate and coerce their victims (the poor, disadvantaged, job seekers, and the downtrodden, especially those with vagrant thoughts of money) to submission. It also detailed the experience of SODIQ LAWAL CHOCOMILO, a journalist with WITHIN NIGERIA, an online newspaper, who went undercover as a desperate job seeker.
I drafted a list of popular streets like Imo, Okesa, Iroye, Anaye, Odundun, Iloro, Olorunsogo, Isare, Isokun, and Ibala, among others, in Ilesa, a major town in Osun State. My team and I had agreed that populated streets would be hot zones for those who manipulate job seekers. I seldomly visited these streets for a couple of weeks looking for a job vacancy with a relatively attractive salary that would be written boldly on the wall of any building. There were times I would roam these streets without luck, and sometimes I would get a phone number that would not be reachable or available.
The search for job and the N30,000 offer
On a Thursday evening around 7:35pm, I was passing through a narrow road in Iroye, a popular street in Ilesa, when I came across a description written with chalk on a wall: [JOB ALERT 08132784568 – N30,000].
I stopped abruptly, brought out my phone, and took a shot of the writings on the wall. I also dialed the number (08132784568) three times, but there was no response. Owing to previous encounters I had in the past, I did not dial the number again. The owner of the number is Ismail Meko, according to the Truecaller app.
I slipped my phone into the pocket and carried on with my walk. I never knew my phone had rang five times because I put it on ‘DND—Do Not Disturb’. What kind of job seeker put his or her phone on DND? I jokingly expressed concern over my audacity. A not too serious job seeker, a friend replied. When I clicked to access the missed calls, the same number—08132784568—I called three times without reply and had returned calls five times. I was happy, and before I could return the calls, another call came in from the same number, and I picked it. The call ended abruptly before I could utter a single word. I returned the call and ‘Ismail Meko’ picked it.
‘Good evening, sir. I saw a job alert with a salary of N30,000. This number was attached to it. Hence my decision to call the number’, I quickly said. The caller replied to my greeting and further asked if I was ready to work. Yes, I am ready to work. I answered affirmatively. The caller said he is happy that we still have youth who want to work. Sir, what’s the job all about? Is it a factory or an office job? I further inquired.
The caller did not answer me. He only asked me to come and meet him by 8 a.m. the following day at a building used as a viewing center a few meters away from a popular medical laboratory center, Life Support in Okesa. When I inquired about expected roles from me, he said I would be updated whenever I came to our converging place—a viewing center. I ended the call and searched for ‘Life Support Okesa’ via Google. It showed a Life Support Medical Diagnostic Center situated at No. 33, Ilemo Street, Okesa, Ilesa, Osun State, among others.
The meeting with my new employer
I left my house around 7 a.m. the following day. I wore a trouser, not too dirty, a faded cardigan, and a pair of slightly worn-out slippers. I got to the Life Support Laboratory, and when I asked around about the viewing center, a young man probably in his early forties pointed at a building to me, saying that’s the viewing center. I thanked him and walked towards the building, but it was locked.
I dialed the number I copied from the job alert, and the caller told me that he was on his way and I should hang around the vicinity. I checked my watch, and it was 7:22 a.m. We agreed on Friday morning at 8 a.m. I was the one who came early, and the caller has not betrayed time. I sat in front of a shop directly opposite the building—the viewing center—waiting for my new employer.
I waited for 40 minutes, but I did not see Mr. Ismail Meko (08132784568). I called his number at exactly 8:15 a.m., but he did not pick up my call. I took a walk down the street and returned to my initial position. Ismail Meko had not arrived yet. I put a call across to him again. He picked up my call this time around and told me that he was still on his way.
The hijack
As I was waiting for ‘Ismail Meko’, I saw a 5-ft-tall man who walked towards the viewing center. I re-dialed the number of ‘Ismail Meko’ but the number was busy. This 5-ft man held his phone by his ear too. I thought he was the one I was waiting for. So I walked to the 5-ft man and introduced myself to him. I told him that I had been waiting for him since 7:30 a.m. This 5-ft-tall man was confused. I later disclosed that I was the one who picked his number from a particular wall where the job alert was boldly written. He confessed that he was not the one I was looking for, but he was in the best position to help me.
‘I am a deportee. I was deported by the South African government. I am in dire need of a job. I have been roaming around for months, and I was glad when I saw a job alert on the wall. I quickly picked up the number. The person I spoke with requested that I wait for him here, and I have been waiting since 7:30 a.m. I explained my situation to the 5-ft-tall man. I wanted to share the number of my contact person with him, but he turned it down.
The 5-ft-tall man who later identified himself as ‘Segun’ told me that I should forget about ‘Ismail Meko’. According to Segun, my journey to prosperity kicked off the moment I walked up to him. While I was conversing with Segun, a number, 08132784568, belonging to Ismail Meko, according to the true caller, kept on calling me. I told Segun that the person I was waiting for was the one calling me, and I needed to pick it up since he had requested that I wait for him.
Segun insisted that I should not pick up the call because he had already charted a new way to prosperity for me. He added that if I continued to ignore Ismail Meko’s call, he would not call me again after a while. Do you believe me? Segun asked. I nodded affirmatively.
Talking from a conceited perspective regarding wealth and prosperity
Segun and I walked to the other side of the road. I asked Segun to tell me about the company he was talking about. He was excited and happy. He disclosed that there’s no way I would work for the company and would not recover my losses within three months. He stated that I would become a boss, not a staff member, worker, or subject of any individual. He further disclosed that he has been working with the company for months. I do not want to enjoy all the benefits alone, hence my insistence that you must join us and enjoy too, he added.
Are you sure? I asked. Yes, he assured me. Segun showed me a journal whose covers were filled with pictures of a mansion and two luxury vehicles allegedly belonging to one, King Alhaji Diamond Afeez Adekunle Amoo Tijani. He claimed that Tijani started as a nobody in the company he’s introducing me to and rose to his current position because he was dedicated and determined. Do you want to be like Alhaji Tijani or not? Segun inquired. I want to be like him and even greater, I answered. Segun appeared happy with the excitement and eagerness I showed in my response.
Segun, who wore a face cap, a faded vest, black socks, and a sandal, was inviting me to join a company where he has been working for six months with the assurance that my life would turn around and recover all losses within three months. I was holding a brand new Redmi 13C (246 GB) worth N200,000 as of August 1, 2024, the least phone in my possession. Segun was in possession of an overused small-itel phone, which no longer has means of identifying numbers. Rather than arguing with him, I thanked Segun for showing me the way, and I assured him that I would not disappoint him.
Ismail Meko had called me more than five times while I was conversing with Segun. I wanted to show Segun the missed calls, but he insisted that I not allow Ismail Meko’s calls to distract me. Why was ‘Ismail Meko’, a supposed employer, disturbing a job seeker he has never met? I wondered. Segun dipped his hand inside the pocket and brought out a small piece of paper and handed it over to me.
Words on the piece of paper Segun handed over to me:
Check it out: YOU CAN BE UR OWN BOSS. STOP CHANGING JOB. LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITY. A COMPANY PRODUCING FRUIT JUICE AND WHEN IS IN NEED OF PART TIME & FULL TIME WORKERS. EDUCATION AND NON-EDUCATED. SALARY DETAILS: EDUCATED – N50,000 AND NON-EDUCATED – N30,000. FOR MORE INFORMATION, TEXT OR CONTACT THE DIRECTOR – 08144286741.
Where is the fruit juice company situated? Where will I submit my CV and certificates? I inquired from Mr. Segun. He looked at me and shook his head. Don’t you want to be free financially? You ask too many questions. Just follow my guidelines if you want to be financially free like me, a visibly angry Segun said. According to Segun, I cannot grow and be financially free if I don’t follow instructions but ask questions from someone who wants to help me.
“We cannot meet at the viewing center again. The person who owns it said he wants to show matches. Owa Odundun Royal Hall is now our meeting point. If you get to St. John Cathedral Church in Iloro, you would take a walk towards the left side and see the hall after three or four electric poles. In fact, you would see people who are well dressed in front of the hall, Segun further disclosed. According to Segun, the small piece of paper he handed to me would serve as an access card to the seminar.
Do I need to attend any seminars? I queried. I thought I would just go to the fruit juice company for an interview, and if I passed, I would be employed. Segun told me that the seminar is very important and mandatory because I would meet those who want to interview me there. Let me go and bring my CV and certificates then, I insisted.
“You do not need a CV or a job. The fruit juice company or salary attached is just a means to lure or attract people. There’s no fruit company anywhere, but if you can attend this seminar I’m talking about, your life would never be the same again. I attended this seminar some months ago, and my life changed for good, Segun revealed.
So there’s no job anywhere? I inquired again. Segun, who probably thought I was a bit disappointed, told me that he does not want me to do ‘sir’ or call anybody ‘boss’, and said there’s no salvation in salary jobs. I kept the small paper he gave me inside my pocket and told him that I would come for the seminar. Why don’t you wait for me so that we can trek to the place together? Gbenga asked. “I came here to pick someone, and if the person arrives, we can trek to the hall,” he requested.
“You have given me the access card (referring to the small paper he gave me). I have taken note of the location of the hall. I don’t have a Kobo with me. I want to go and meet my friend if he could spare me some money. I have not eaten at all. I will go to the hall after finding money to eat for me to get strength,” I falsely painted a situation for Segun.
I was expecting Segun to offer me some naira notes, but he did not. He only advised me that I should focus on what I want to become rather than what I want to eat. “What you want to eat is nothing compared to what you want to become.” Segun advised that I should not allow food to overwhelm my passion for success. ‘Be hungry for success’, he admonished.
I insisted that I would not wait for him and his new client. I also assured him that I would come to the seminar. He collected my number and saved it. He flashed me with his number too. “When you get to the hall and you are asked to write the name or number of your sponsor, kindly fill in my details,” he demanded.
Of course, I would surely fill in your details, I assured him. When I was about to leave, Segun called me and begged that I should attend the seminar for me to recover my losses. According to Segun, he is interested in my case because he wants those who mocked me to feel sorry for themselves.
Do you remember Ismail Meko? The owner of the number I saw boldly written on the wall alongside the job alert. He had called me more than five times. I decided to respect Segun’s wishes. I did not pick his calls and I did not switch off my phone too. I departed Okesa and went to a friend whose house is not far from the hall. I decided to dial the phone number of the director on the small paper given to me by Segun. I later discovered that Segun was the director. I laughed so hard and decided to play along. I updated my editor-in-chief about the development and he asked me to be very careful. I requested that my friend drop me off at the venue with his motorcycle. He agreed.
We left his house around 8:50 a.m. I do not know the hall, but my friend does. We rode through Iroye to Iloro quarters road, and I alighted a few meters away from the ‘Owa Odundun Royal Hall’—the meeting point. I did not see Gbenga, my sponsor, but I was warmly welcomed. “Wale Oluwagbemiga is my name, and Mr. Segun with 08144286741 is my sponsor,” I said softly to the man in charge of the register. He filled in my details, and I began a journey to the land of uncertainty.
This is the first of a three-part series.