Most times, Nigerians are accused of having unusual foreign taste. They are accused of preferring foreign things over local things just because they believe that foreign things give them an air of wealth, class and distinctiveness. This was eternally etched in music by Bright Chimezie in his song, which earned him the soubriquet ‘Okoro Junior’.

In that song, Bright Chimezie laments that he went to a discotheque and requested an African song, but the other guests laughed at him and called him Okoro Junior, a denigrating moniker used to describe a rustic Igbo man.



Nigerian university degrees used to be rated highly before the mid 1980s. Now, they have lost their prestige. Parents now do everything possible to ensure that their children receive university education outside the country.

A similar thing has happened in the health sector. Nigerians — especially the political leaders — prefer to receive medical treatment abroad than in their own country, no matter the degree of the illness. It now seems that only the poor seek medical treatment locally.

Also, until the mid-1980s Nigerian stadiums used to be filled to the brim every weekend when Nigerian football clubs played matches. Also when the national football team played any match at the National Stadium, a pin dropped in the stadium would find it hard to hit the ground. Nigerian boxers also attracted huge crowds anytime they had a fight in the country. Today, the Nigerian Football League is completely ignored by most Nigerians. Anybody who identifies with the local league is viewed as “a bush person.”

Most Nigerians feel good flaunting their love for an English football club or a European football club. Some even go overboard by killing fans of other clubs when their favourite clubs lose, even though most of them have never left the shores of Nigeria or been to Europe to have any links with the club they are getting paranoid about.

Fortunately, there are some industries or sectors that attract patronage from Nigerians more than their foreign counterparts. Two decades after Bright Chimezie’s song, there was a turnaround in the Nigerian music industry. Nigerian music became the toast of Nigerians. Today, at parties or on air, disc jockeys can play two hours of music featuring only Nigerian music. Even companies that used to bring in American musicians and other non-Nigerian musicians as the main attractions at big events have stopped doing so. Different musical TV channels sprang up with a focus on Nigerian music.

In the movie industry, Nigerian homes and cinemas were dominated by Western and Asian films. There were no Nigerian films until 1992 when NEK Videos produced “Living in Bondage” in Igbo language. That transformed the Nigerian film industry, virtually knocking out foreign movies from Nigerian homes.

Similarly, when it comes to electric cables, made-in-Nigeria cables are preferred to foreign ones, although they are more expensive. Those who are building their residential houses or business premises insist on Nigerian cables, because they are durable and safer. Those who are building for tenants most times resort to imported cables because they are cheaper.

In recent years, Nigerian artisans are losing out to those from Togo and the Republic of Benin. This occurs mainly in the building of houses: masonry, plastering, tiling, fixing of POP, plumbing, and painting. The argument is that when these West African neighbours of ours set blocks, walls are straight and the finishing is clean. When they plaster a house, the window and door edges are as straight as a ruler, while the walls look as if they have been painted. Also, when they lay tiles, they are straight and neatly done. This is said to contrast with the work of their Nigerian counterparts, which is poorly finished: the walls are not straight; the floors are uneven; the window edges are jagged; there are paint stains on windows and doors. Definitely this does not apply to every Nigerian artisan. However, because many Nigerian artisans display this trait, that image is rubbing off on others.



The summary is that Nigerian artisans are not well trained. Most of those who work as craftsmen learn by working under someone and watching the person. There is no specified length of period for this apprenticeship. It can be one year or two years or more. It can even be as short as three months. An apprentice can fall out with the master and leave to start his own practice. What he needs is someone to give him something to do. There are no standards.

Unlike in most West African countries, where there are functional technical schools for the training of young people in different skills, there are no functional technical institutes owned by Nigeria. The ones that exist have become mere certificate-awarding institutions. There is more emphasis on the theoretical aspect of the work than on the practical aspect. That is why one would graduate from XYZ Technical School or XYZ College of Technology or XYZ Institute of Technology without acquiring any skills in any field. The few functional institutes are owned by individuals or private organisations.

It is, therefore, regrettable that in a country that is facing outrageously high rate of poverty caused by high unemployment rate, citizens of neighbouring countries are coming in and taking away the few available jobs. And fellow Nigerians are not bothered about giving these jobs away because they are more concerned with the quality of the work done for them than with the patriotism of patronising their compatriots. Nobody can blame them for that. Nobody will willingly board an aeroplane that is flown by a mediocre pilot or allow himself to be operated upon by a mediocre surgeon because of patriotism.

No matter how hard things become in Nigeria, people will live in houses, drive cars and motorcycles, wear clothes and shoes, use phones and laptops. These houses need to be built by human beings — the construction of these houses will involve masonry or bricklaying, carpentry or upholstery, roofing, fixing of doors and windows, tiling, plumbing, and painting. People who spend money building these houses will like to get their money’s worth.

Although there are ready-made clothes, many people still want to have their clothes sewn to their taste, design and preferred style. They need creative designers and tailors who pay attention to details. Cars, phones and computers will have to be serviced and repaired. The owners do not want these possessions to be destroyed in the name of repairing them. And when they are satisfied, they stick to the person they know and also recommend the person to members of their families and friends.

The federal and state governments should not just fold their arms and pretend as if this is not a problem. The emphasis on the acquisition of degrees has not helped Nigeria in anyway. There is a need to pay serious attention to technical education and create clear standards and certification for artisans in all sectors. That will help to boost the skills of Nigerians in that segment of the economy. It will also equip our youths with the capacity to create jobs rather than looking for jobs.

There are millions of jobs available in these fields. But those who want to take advantage of them must be properly trained; they must pay attention to detail; they must be patient and humble; they must be honest; and they must treat their jobs with seriousness. If that does not happen, our better trained West African neighbours will continue to take away jobs that should be ours, even in our own country.

https://punchng.com/togolese-are-taking-away-our-jobs/

Nothing but the truth

Sadly true, however the Togolese are more skilled

The write up is true but you can't take it away from the Togolese and beninouse, they are more skilled and give less headaches in completing their tasks compared to Nigerians.

Beautiful article.

From the header, I was going to ask what jobs have you got that the Togolese are taking until I read the full story.

Truth be told these Togolese can lay tiles like machine. You dont need to be chasing them around to finish your work, they are focus. Above all they are quite cheaper.
We Nigerians need to search our souls, we are all in the habit of quick fix to wealth and everything!

Take it back

Make I book space

Plus, they charge cheaper...

I disagree with you Sir
Togolese can't take away our jobs...
Them no reach....the kind jobs they are taking don't mean nothing to us.....

The word this writer has failed to learn is outsourcing.
If the home country can’t provide a service, of course people will look elsewhere.
Poverty is also a driving force which propels people to perfect their craft.
If Nigerian artisans are terrible at their crafts it means they don chop belleful.
Their foreign counterparts know it is either a good job or starvation hence put in more attention to detail.

I engage in a Nigerian job once dominated by Chinese, Filipinos, Koreans and Indians.
With the near inhumane work environment I am surprised lighter skin individuals can do a better job than what we Nigerians lazily and draw out time performing.

Edit: I booked space and received a like before commenting properly.
Lol.

Lol what a joke...when all you guys do is shabby work...why won't they?



Are you a quality suit lover? Check my signature

Well, the truth is that often times a lot of Nigerians don't want to do these kind of jobs which the Togoleses and others are snapping up, that's besides the fact that they are more skilled; some would rather even ride okada or engage in Yahoo or ritualism .

The situation is similar to what is obtainable in the United States, where Mexicans/Hispanics are doing jobs that Americans reject yet the Americans beef them for 'taking their jobs'. These jobs are needed so somebody just has to do them. And that is why Hispanics will always be welcome in America because they don't turn down jobs and are very hard-working.

Omooba77:
Truth be told these Togolese can lay tiles like machine. You dont need to be chasing them around to finish your work, they are focus. Above all they are quite cheaper.
We Nigetians need to search our souls, we are all in the habit of quick fix to wealrh and everything!

Really? Never knew this.

Competition, albeit healthy and regulated could be necessary.

Nigerian artisans were thinking the market is monopolistic. Very uncultured set of people. Tell them to come by 9am, they will come by 3pm. Smh!

Good write up

Same thing Mexicans and other southern American countries are doing to US, that's why Thrump wanna flush them all out.Nigeria is the US of west African countries.

It is normal, same way we are taking some peoples job in SA, USA, UK.

Thing is as an immigrant you are more focused on why you are in that country. WORK

Julian Osula Biography - The Man Who Ordered For Helicopter After He Was Stuck In Traffic

Ok

maka why?

But this is a fact and the reason is obviously stated in the article. This is a very timely post.

God bless the op.

Omooba77:



THE FACT
The summary is that Nigerian artisans are not well trained. Most of those who work as craftsmen learn by working under someone and watching the person. There is no specified length of period for this apprenticeship. It can be one year or two years or more. It can even be as short as three months. An apprentice can fall out with the master and leave to start his own practice. What he needs is someone to give him something to do. There are no standards.

Unlike in most West African countries, where there are functional technical schools for the training of young people in different skills, there are no functional technical institutes owned by Nigeria. The ones that exist have become mere certificate-awarding institutions. There is more emphasis on the theoretical aspect of the work than on the practical aspect. That is why one would graduate from XYZ Technical School or XYZ College of Technology or XYZ Institute of Technology without acquiring any skills in any field. The few functional institutes are owned by individuals or private organisations.

It is, therefore, regrettable that in a country that is facing outrageously high rate of poverty caused by high unemployment rate, citizens of neighbouring countries are coming in and taking away the few available jobs. And fellow Nigerians are not bothered about giving these jobs away because they are more concerned with the quality of the work done for them than with the patriotism of patronising their compatriots. Nobody can blame them for that. Nobody will willingly board an aeroplane that is flown by a mediocre pilot or allow himself to be operated upon by a mediocre surgeon because of patriotism.

No matter how hard things become in Nigeria, people will live in houses, drive cars and motorcycles, wear clothes and shoes, use phones and laptops. These houses need to be built by human beings — the construction of these houses will involve masonry or bricklaying, carpentry or upholstery, roofing, fixing of doors and windows, tiling, plumbing, and painting. People who spend money building these houses will like to get their money’s worth.

Although there are ready-made clothes, many people still want to have their clothes sewn to their taste, design and preferred style. They need creative designers and tailors who pay attention to details. Cars, phones and computers will have to be serviced and repaired. The owners do not want these possessions to be destroyed in the name of repairing them. And when they are satisfied, they stick to the person they know and also recommend the person to members of their families and friends.

THE SOLUTION
The federal and state governments should not just fold their arms and pretend as if this is not a problem. The emphasis on the acquisition of degrees has not helped Nigeria in anyway. There is a need to pay serious attention to technical education and create clear standards and certification for artisans in all sectors. That will help to boost the skills of Nigerians in that segment of the economy. It will also equip our youths with the capacity to create jobs rather than looking for jobs.

There are millions of jobs available in these fields. But those who want to take advantage of them must be properly trained; they must pay attention to detail; they must be patient and humble; they must be honest; and they must treat their jobs with seriousness. If that does not happen, our better trained West African neighbours will continue to take away jobs that should be ours, even in our own country.

https://punchng.com/togolese-are-taking-away-our-jobs/

Your average nigerian artisan is proudly incompetent. Very very lazy and in a hurry to finish and move on to the next job. Nigerians love to spit about practicals. Well these are the practicals, the most basic of jobs and we are still failing at them.

Na lie op, Nigeria wey everybody wan run leave.

Omooba77:
Truth be told these Togolese can lay tiles like machine. You dont need to be chasing them around to finish your work, they are focus. Above all they are quite cheaper.
We Nigetians need to search our souls, we are all in the habit of quick fix to wealrh and everything!

I can't blame you.. People like u is the problems in this country.. U said cheaper and how much is naira to Togo money? They take naira to Togo to change it big money in there country... And let me tell u more if u use them then you're jams with juju that is what they use most.. The problem we have is cheap labour.. People like u

Chere kam bia

Yes finally we can say this it shows we are developing small small

manny4u:
The write up is true but you can't take it away from the Togolese and beninouse, they are more skilled and give less headaches in completing their tasks compared to Nigerians.

another juju don take this one brain.. If you don't know what to say just shut up.... The problem we have in this country is cheap labour people like you

A failed nation. You don't need all that grammar to tell us how we have failed ..

Not that they are better skilled than us jst that their prices are cheaper and they are committed to doing the job....

Nigerians are more interested in certificates, not skills

Nigeria is a hopeless country with very useless set of leaders. That is why we will continue to be a mockrey of other nations..

T for Togo

Togolese kwaa

daddytime:
Beautiful article.

From the header, I was going to ask what jobs have you got that the Togolese are taking until I read the full story.

That's the thing with a typical Nigerian... There are still some jobs but they'll never accept to do it .