UNEMPLOYMENT, ENTERPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION AND WORKING
EXPERIENCE AMONG NIGERIAN GRADUATES
Akeem Ayofe Akinwale
Department of Social Sciences, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Nigeria
akinwale.akeem@yahoo.com
akinwale.akeem@landmarkuniversity.edu.ng
Abstract
The paper examines working experience in the context of unemployment and entrepreneurial
orientation among Nigerian graduates. As shown in the literature, the rate of unemployment has
become unbearable in Nigeria since it increased from 11.9 percent in 2005 to 14.9 percent in
2008 and 19.7 percent in 2009; it rose to 24 percent in 2011. The rising spate of unemployment
has adversely affected Nigerian graduates, who are expected to promote socio-economic
development of the Nigerian society through the use of their knowledge. As a result, Nigerian
graduates are increasingly under pressure to meet expectations of the society. Successive
Nigerian governments have made several attempts to address the problem of unemployment.
Yet, the problem remains strong with adverse implications for Nigerian graduates. Subsequently,
there has been a consensus on the relevance of entrepreneurship in addressing the problem of
unemployment on the one hand and ensuring sustainable development of the society on the other
hand. Presently, entrepreneurship has been integrated into the curricula of Nigerian universities.
However, the majority of the Nigerian graduates have not been able to develop their
entrepreneurial orientation due to unnecessary constraints such as lack of capital, inadequate
infrastructure and hostile business environment. This situation has resulted in uncertainties about
career development among Nigerian graduates. A number of Nigerian graduates have embarked
on postgraduate studies and this move has implications for the development of their
entrepreneurial orientation. It is uncertain if enrolment for postgraduate studies is a viable
solution to the problem of unemployment and poverty in Nigeria. In contrast, it is certain that
Nigerian graduates have not shown adequate interest in the development of their entrepreneurial
orientation. In the light of the above, the present paper dwells on working experience among
Nigerian graduates, focusing on the interplay of unemployment and entrepreneurial orientation.
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The paper is based on several justifications. First, a large number of Nigerian graduates are
unemployed and this situation has exposed the Nigerian society to numerous dangers. Second,
Nigerian universities have recognised the need for entrepreneurship, although entrepreneurial
orientation remains low among Nigerian graduates. Also, there is inadequate information about
the outcomes of entrepreneurial programmes of Nigerian universities. Third, there is paucity of
research on the interplay of unemployment and entrepreneurial orientation on working
experience in Nigeria. Thus, it is important to examine working experience in the light of
unemployment and entrepreneurial orientation. Issues addressed in the paper were anchored on
Bandura’s Self Efficacy Theory and Max Weber’s Social Action Theory because the theories
focus on interpretation of experience and decisions among individuals and groups in the society.
From their experience of unemployment, individuals can develop interest in entrepreneurial
orientation depending on their self efficacy and subjective interpretation of different values of
the society. Nigerian graduates may be positively disposed to entrepreneurial orientation as a
result of value placed on wealth. Their predisposition to entrepreneurship can also be adduced to
traditional norms and values of industry and productivity in the Nigerian society. Data for the
study were obtained from postgraduate students of the University of Ibadan in south-western
Nigeria. The University of Ibadan was established in 1948 and it remains the oldest university in
Nigeria. The university has been attracting undergraduate and postgraduate students from diverse
socio-economic backgrounds across Nigeria. The academic and administrative structures of the
University include 13 faculties, 91 departments, 12 centres and four institutes. A total of 6,017
students have enrolled for master degree programmes, while several thousands of students have
also enrolled for doctoral degree programmes. The University of Ibadan was established to
provide qualitative education to Nigerians. It was an offshoot of the University of London,
although it gained independence from the University of London via the Nigerian Act of
Parliament enacted in December 1962. The population of the students of the University of
Ibadan has increased consistently from 104 in 1948 to 19,787 in 2011. Additionally, the
University has 16,000 students in its Distance Learning Programme. Between 1948 and 2009, the
University of Ibadan has produced different categories of degree holders such as follows:
120,000 first degree holders, 43,358 Master/PhD degree as well as 4,945 Postgraduate Diploma
Certificates. Also, 28,870 other certificates and diplomas were issued within the same period.
For the purpose of the present paper, a total of 500 postgraduate students were selected from the
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University of Ibadan through stratified random sampling. Also, structured questionnaire and indepth interviews were used to collect data from the selected respondents. Both descriptive and
inferential statistics were used to process the quantitative data, while thematic content analysis
was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings generally suggest that many Nigerian
graduates have suffered from perceived crises of unemployment in the Nigerian labour market.
Regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, most of them (78.4 percent)
were in the age category of 26 and 35 years. Most of them (77.2 percent) were equally single
(not married). Also, most of the respondents (75.8 percent) were graduates of different federal
universities in Nigeria, while a significant minority (13.8 percent versus 3.4 percent) obtained
their degrees from state universities and private universities, respectively. The difference in the
proportion of male and female respondents was not statistically significant at 53.4 percent for
male and 46.6 percent for female. Concerning their experience of unemployment, most of them
(82.2 percent) disclosed that they had searched for jobs without success. They equally identified
major causes of unemployment such as inadequate level of socioeconomic development and
financial mismanagement by government (corruption). The distribution also showed that a
significant number of the respondents (64.4 percent) had searched for jobs at least four times but
only few of them (30.4 percent) had been invited for job interview. Many of the respondents
(64.8 percent) felt that employment opportunity in Nigeria has been marred by influence or
preferential treatment of applicants; this is what most of the respondents termed “connection”.
Only very few (6.4 percent) of the respondents believed it employment opportunity is based on
merit. With respect to their entrepreneurial orientation, most of the respondents’ (72.2 percent)
agreed that the skills needed in the labour market were being given in the Nigerian tertiary
institution while (27.8%) thought otherwise. Similarly, the majority of the respondents (72.2
percent) believed that postgraduate program would help them get a suitable job while 27.8
percent of the respondents however were not sure of the relevance of postgraduate education in
Nigeria. Expectedly, 77 percent of the respondents claimed that they possessed one skill or the
other ranging from computer, business, art and creative, teaching, technical, catering, and
marketing skills. However, the unemployment situation in Nigeria was again projected due to the
fact that the highest proportion the respondents (56 percent) disclosed their intention to search
for paid jobs after their postgraduate studies. This was followed by (9.4 percent) who expressed
preference for establishment of business. However, 6 percent of the respondents noted that they
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would get married after their postgraduate studies. The findings clearly show the persistence of
the acute crisis of unemployment in Nigeria. A number of Nigerian graduates have acquired
entrepreneurial skills but they are ill prepared to confront the reality of the emerging labour
market in Nigeria. Urgent attention is therefore required in order to harness the entrepreneurial
potentials of Nigerian graduates for socioeconomic development of the Nigerian society.
Keywords: Employment, entrepreneurship, graduates, labour market, Nigeria
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