Who do we blame?..

It is funny how some persons believe that everyone needs to be self-employed. The first world doesn't seem that way to me. There are some who prefer white collar jobs, gain the experience they need, and start something, or prefer to stay there for as long as they wish. It all depends on the individual. But life is tough, the third world is tougher. Recruitment agencies are portraying to the world that the unemployed graduates will get a job if they apply through their platform. Some make it possible, some just makes it worse. MEMCOS for example used to be a recruting firm for MTN. Every August, these agency prepares a battle for the unemployed graduates to work in the biggest telecommunication industry in the country. How do they do it? You apply through them, first, by knowing a top official, secondly, by hearsay, but that depends on if you would be called upon. The unemployed graduates seems so happy when they are sent an e-mail from the well-known network calling for an assessment.


Depending on the position, MEMCOS has designed the platform for the position of Customer Care Representatives to come into the computer rooms, given them an essay to type to know two things, their speed and accuracy levels. If one reaches an accuracy of 80% and 20WPM(Words per minute), it means you will be called upon for an interview, if one fails, then you find a reason to find jobs elsewhere. During the interview, you may be asked questions like, ''Tell us about you'' which is normal, but the abnormal question is ''how did you apply''. If you say you did the application yourself, you fail the interview. If you mention a valid name, you get the job. Well, for MEMCOS.

When one gets the job, it gives one so much relief, it gives one so much reason to feel that the unemployed burden has been lifted off. But here is how they work. As a Customer Care Representative, for the first three months, you are paid N30,000. Which involves training, practicing, etc. According to a legitimate source, MTN pays the sum of N60,000 to MEMCOS, which means half of your salary has been taken by the recruitment agency where they have less than 20 employees. After the first three months, the next 3 months, you get paid N60,000, which means, MTN has paid N90,000 to MEMCOS, but N30,000 is taken from their salary. Now, lets do the calculation. As at 2010, MTN claimed they employed 1,000 graduates. Some from MEMCOS, and some from other recuriting firms. I can categorically mention that 400 came from MEMCOS at that time. Now, if N30,000 is taken from 400 persons for the first 6 months, what is MEMCOS annual turnover? Why has MTN not done a thing about it? Productivity counts for MTN, but I have come to realize that they do not care if you are productive for number of years. Do you have someone at the top? Then, we can find ways to help you become a permanent staff? Is this the future I have come to be in? Is this the life through which my sons and daughters will face in time when I am no more?

In Ghana, MTN operates by a followed order from the president of Ghana. Saying that all Ghanian citizens must be permanent staffs. A mutual benefit between the people and the organization. Providing good telecommunication services to the country, and in turn giving a huge target audience to the organization engaging fully in their products and services. But in Nigeria, it is different. If majority of the populace are employed as contract staffs, and the organization makes 4 billion naira daily, why can't majority of employees be permanent staffs? Why reap people off their salaries? Why make the burden which they thought has been lifted up be more of a drag in their lives? Why MEMCOS? Who do we blame?