By Ijoho Msonter Sam
In an age of fierce competition, shrinking job opportunities, and widespread disillusionment, one truth remains universal: nobody hands you relevance, nobody hands you growth. You earn it. For millions of young Nigerians battling unemployment and economic hardship, this truth should be more than a motivational slogan. It should be a survival principle.
We live in a time when waiting to be discovered, rescued, or “connected” is not only outdated, it’s counterproductive. Opportunities no longer come looking for people. People must now go hunting for them. And that hunting requires something more potent than talent. It demands work, structure, hunger, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
The Illusion of Visibility Without Action:
A significant number of young people still operate under the illusion that their potential alone will open doors. But potential has never paid bills. Skills do. Structure does. Strategy does. In today’s economic reality, value is currency, not your dreams or intentions.
According to data from Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (2024), youth unemployment stands at a staggering 42.5% (which may still not represent the actual reality). Yet every day, thousands of digital businesses are springing up across Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok. The difference? Some are waiting for help. Others are helping themselves.
Case in Point:
Take the story of Oghenekevwe Edwin, a graduate of History from Delta State. During an ASUU strike, rather than waste time, he started repackaging and selling palm oil in used plastic bottles via social media. Today, he exports to the UK through a local distributor. No job offer came. He became the job.
Another example is Zainab Bello, who began a modest fashion brand from her room in Kaduna with just about ₦50,000. Through consistent branding, niche targeting, and leveraging social media, her urban modest-wear is now worn by clients in Lagos, Dubai, and Johannesburg. It wasn’t connection.., it was clarity, content, and commitment.
The Demands of Growth:
Entrepreneurial growth is not romantic, neither is it a stroll in the park with smooth sweet experience. It is not just vision boards and mood lighting….. It is tasks, timelines, sacrifices, and a relentless appetite for execution. There are no shortcuts to growth and success. It is earned in the trenches, in failures, in sleepless nights, and in starting again when plans collapse.
According to statistics made available by SMEDAN in 2023, over 60% of failed small businesses in Nigeria never tracked their goals or progress – they do not have a proper record keeping mechanism. This tells us that the problem is not lack of opportunity but a lack of structure and accountability.
Hunger and Intentionality: The Missing Ingredients:
Every successful entrepreneur has a common ingredient – hunger. Not desperation, but drive. Hunger compels you to read, learn, practice, reach out, and try again. But hunger without intentionality is wasted energy. You must direct your hunger toward strategy and measurable action.
Kelechi Nwafor, once a university student in Anambra State, began selling data bundles with an old Android phone. Today, he manages over 1,200 customers using WhatsApp API automation. His success was not capital-dependent – it was hunger-directed and execution-driven.
The Digital Leverage You’re Ignoring:
We live in the most connected generation in history. There is no excuse for invisibility. With tools like Canva (design), WhatsApp Business (customer service), Capcut (videos editing), Paystack (payments), and free learning platforms like YouTube and Coursera, no dream is too small to begin.
According to Meta’s Africa Business Report (2023), over 72% of functional Nigerian small business owners completed sales on WhatsApp. The tools are there. What is often missing is the willingness to grind, to learn, and to stay consistent.
Your Wake-Up Call:
To every aspiring entrepreneur reading this: nobody is coming. It’s time you go.
Start small. Stay disciplined. Invest in your capacity. Surround yourself with people who are building. Use the phone in your hand. Learn something new every week. Market yourself. Be seen. Be skilled. Be relevant.
The future doesn’t belong to the lucky or the loud. It belongs to the prepared.
Final Words:
Your dream is not waiting for you. You are the one who must catch up to it. This economy is tough, but it is not without openings. Build something, no matter how small. Learn something, no matter how basic. Grow somewhere, no matter how slowly. The longer you wait to start, the longer you’ll have to wait for the life you desire.
So, wake up. Show up. Put in the work. Success is earned – not given.
