NEWS DIGEST – Mr Nasiru Adamu, a professional cobbler in Mararaba, Nasarawa state, has urged Nigerian youths to be less dependent on white-collar jobs.
Nasiru, a graduate of Business Administration from the Kogi State Polytechnic, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Mararaba on Monday.
He expressed concerns that some graduates and youths, do not want to engage themselves in skills acquisition such as tailoring cobbling and catering among others.
He also said that being a graduate does not exclude one not to involve in any other business that would make him or her to earn a living and live a successful life in the society.
He said that rather than engage in skills acquisition to further impact positively on their economic well being, some of them wait on the government to provide jobs for them.
“I will advise those searching for white-collar jobs to acquire skills in various vocations that would make them relevant to their communities and the society in general.
” After my graduation, I searched for jobs to no avail, so I decided to travel to Lagos, where I learnt the art of shoe making.
“Today, I am proud to say that I am a cobbler, making and fixing shoes to earn a living.
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” The reason why I learnt it is because I want to promote the production and wearing of local shoes and sandals by Africans.
“I don’t have any regret in this line of business, because making locally-made shoes and scandals, has made me to be famous and well known.
“As you can see, I have become self reliant, self dependent and also employer of labour because I have many people working for me,” he said.
Adamu added that most of the raw materials such as animal hides and skin use in the business were readily available in the country, adding that it makes their work to be much easier.
According to him, the business had made him more popular in his environment and beyond, adding that he has a lot of customers from far and near that patronised his business.
He maintained that he has `never’ disappointed his clients because his ultimate satisfaction in the job was to please his clients with the quality of his works.
Adamu appealed to the youths to embraced entrepreneurship especially in this hard time, in order not to indulge in any criminal act.
” An idle man is the devil’s workshop; when you are not doing anything as a youth, many negative things runs through your mind.
“But in a situation where you are engaged with something meaningful; you will not get yourselve involve in crime,” he said.
