Npower? YouWin connect? Youth Innovative Entrepreneurship and Development Program YIEDP (of Bank PHB, BOI, Sterling bank)? Agric loan?



It has always been a common slogan and line of advice that the youths should go back to agriculture. True, agriculture is one of the way to curb unemployment but are we really encouraged?


I have so much like farming that I acquire two acres of land while I was an undergraduate. I cleared the fallowed land with tractor, plough the land and planted maize.


The process was going smootly until a very serious need arose about my final year project which cost me almost all my then savings. When I could not continue with the farm due to lack of capital, I had to donate the farm to the locals to keep it and harvest it yields.


After NYSC and no job, I was able to acquire another 3 acres of fallow land with plan to use for farming, but still the same problem repeated itself. No adequate capital.


I read online about various agric loan available. I went to LAPO office but was told that as part of loan requirement, I need to first have an established farm land with more than a year of use for farming.


Bank of Agriculture BOA, became the next option. I opened an account with them but when I came up with the issue of loan application,  it was like a strange request to them.


Next, I Joined a farmer's group, spent about #30,000 of almost all my NYSC savings on the application, the processing of the loan and transportation to venue of meetings. We were told to open two bank accounts with nothing to show. No loan was given.


Come 2017, the 3 acres of land is still laying fallow and I like to farm this 2018 agric season, but should I bugdet the money I have and get stucked mid-way again? No!


I tried joining a Young Farmer's Forum, who promised heaven and earth on their advert bill, but on reaching their office, all they could tell me is that I cannot access any loan until after a year of paid membership.


Let me talk less about the Youth Innovative, Empowerment and Development program YEIDP with which I applied with Bank PHB and has never get a response from them after submission of application. The sterling bank - through the same program - to whom I submitted a business plan but got no more response after a congratulatory message.


Terms of loan was shifted from using NYSC certificate as collateral to presentation of two 3rd party guarantors who should have the equivalent of requested loan amount, each in their bank account.


Good is the YouWin Connect Programm, but it is more of a competition than help to youths who really have passion for a startup business (I think the selection criterial should be business plan and not the training).


One thing I notice is, some Nigerian youth are not that lazy. They have innovative ideas but are limited by the Nigerian environment that is not soo enabling.


We shall surely fight through!


Do you have similar experience? share your story in the comment section.

see another similar story shared by another youth about BOI loan program after I post this topic

https://www.nairaland.com/4371169/nairalanders-experience-bank-industry-documents

For the Nigerian youth to make it in this country, you need all the combined abilities of God, super powers and fnf back ups. It's more like a camel passing through the eye of the needle. Today I've given up on this country ever helping me rise. Nigeria is like a loaf of bread being clamoured for by a crowd; pinch what you can and go cos nobody cares about you to help you pinch any!

We are in a dysfunctional society but we don't know. Here is my story.

Back in 2016, I had this bright idea and was full of hopes. I went to the BOI and I saw from their body language they weren't there to help. I didn't step foot there again. Applied for all the "appliables" yet nothing came up.

Boy went back to his tuke tuke businesses. In 2017, I spent the first half chasing contracts that never came despite being qualified. Then came the era of ponzis Lol. The boy made quite some money for himself then decided to go into buying of agricultural produce from the north and selling down south.

Some one ran me off the business (she still owes me till today) I learnt a crucial lesson... Never ever let family front business for you cos when it comes down to doing dirty sh!t, your hands would always be tied.

Things became a bit better as the boy got a break from some investments he did and today, the boy isn't that rich but he's trying for his age.

Whatever you do to make that paper boy, be diligent. Attack it squarely like your life depends on it and never forget the place of prayers.

Nigeria would never help you rise, but would celebrate you when you make it!

bishopkay:
For the Nigerian youth to make it in this country, you need all the combined abilities of God, super powers and fnf back ups. It's more like a camel passing through the eye of the needle. Today I've given up on this country ever helping me rise. Nigeria is like a loaf of bread being clamoured for by a crowd; pinch what you can and go cos nobody cares about you to help you pinch any!

We are in a dysfunctional society but we don't know. Here is my story.

Back in 2016, I had this bright idea and was full of hopes. I went to the BOI and I saw from their body language they weren't there to help. I didn't step foot there again. Applied for all the "appliables" yet nothing came up.

Boy went back to his tuke tuke businesses. In 2017, I spent the first half chasing contracts that never came despite being qualified. Then came the era of ponzis Lol. The boy made quite some money for himself then decided to go into buying of agricultural produce from the north and selling down south.

Some one ran me off the business (she still owes me till today) I learnt a crucial lesson... Never ever let family front business for you cos when it comes down to doing dirty sh!t, your hands would always be tied.

Things became a bit better as the boy got a break from some investments he did and today, the boy isn't that rich but he's trying for his age.

Whatever you do to make that paper boy, be diligent. Attack it squarely like your life depends on it and never forget the place of prayers.

Nigeria would never help you rise, but would celebrate you when you make it!

A good one from you

Well said guys! I'm motivated to right immediately i read you guys ordeal..

I also have an issue. I was working in one of the leading bank here in Nigeria , until last year October. I lost the job to a circumstance i knew nothing about. Life must continue as the popular saying goes... I'd applied for more than hundred roles in job vacancies since then, none has yielded any good result. It's almost 6 months now.

Something popped up my mind recently. I actually learnt a vocation before i went to the higher institution. I learnt Printing. Instead of sitting back , and waiting for that almost impossible miracle, i summoned courage and took away the ego. I started telling people i could print for them.

Luckily for me, i got a job last week. I was on top of this job because i actually wanted to impress the customer. I did my best , God took control of it. It was supposed to be one type of job, but it eventually became three different types. I guess the customer was already convinced with the way i did the first one..

I made some reasonable profit at the end of day. In fact, i'd not made that much in the last 6 months have been home. This is my point exactly! Government can only do little or nothing. Until i came out of my comfort zone before i could make ends meet. If you're still pondering over what next to do , please be very fast about it. Of a truth, the year is still very young to make something good out of it.

Perhaps, i might not need any banking job again. SKILL pays.... Until we realize that, the better for us all. Of course, education is KEY! But Skill makes one's more relevant. If i could not get any job for 6 months now, even despite the experiences, then what are we saying?

God will bless the work of our hands. Let's be very pro-active about our decisions. Don't procrastinate!!!

I call it Ti-Oluwani Prints. Email: leki9icekazman@gmail.com . 08131616658 08051575456. I'm open to more jobs biko.....

Kindly find attached one of jobs done at the just concluded printing

I must say that to make something good out of life doesn't come easy. I've not been to other country before so I can't really say it's the Nigerian factor but nevertheless it's not been easy.
I remember leaving service some four months before passing out last year because I was thinking about being proactive and I didn't want to stay home after service year. Made my CV and sent to different people with the hope that connection would do it. Took up a job in a filling station where I was been underpaid but I was doing the job in order to have another means of earning and save something from my service year since my savings was at zero level then. Connection was taking long so I went out and started applying for jobs around my areas. From there, I extended the job hunting to other states and started using links and internet. The inevitable passing out came and I was still jobless, or rather still holding on to the filling station job where I was been underpaid (four figures salary). Got some job invitations and attended some interviews, experienced interviewers who expect you to tell them the color of pant they're wearing and kiss their shits, some hiring team who post vacancy outside their premises but are not ready to employ yet, so they just mess with people's time. It's really a one big crazy scenario put together. Now I'm already eating away my saved allawee since the filling station job is not really helping me financially. And I don't even know if to continue there or just quit and be finally jobless.
The society is really harsh and I've never believed Nigerian youths are altogether lazy, I remember writing my project on Nigerian youth because seeing all these guys doing gee boys, risking their lives to sell their kidney and doing all sort of dirty things (I'm not saying it's right though), but if things were better and ideal, all those things would be lessened down. May God help us all.

lokoventurex1:
Well said guys! I'm motivated to right immediately i read you guys ordeal..

I also have an issue. I was working in one of the leading bank here in Nigeria , until last year October. I lost the job to a circumstance i knew nothing about. Life must continue as the popular saying goes... I'd applied for more than hundred roles in job vacancies since then, none has yielded any good result. It's almost 6 months now.

Something popped up my mind recently. I actually learnt a vocation before i went to the higher institution. I learnt Printing. Instead of sitting back , and waiting for that almost impossible miracle, i summoned courage and took away the ego. I started telling people i could print for them.

Luckily for me, i got a job last week. I was on top of this job because i actually wanted to impress the customer. I did my best , God took control of it. It was supposed to be one type of job, but it eventually became three different types. I guess the customer was already convinced with the way i did the first one..

I made some reasonable profit at the end of day. In fact, i'd not made that much in the last 6 months have been home. This is my point exactly! Government can only do little or nothing. Until i came out of my comfort zone before i could make ends meet. If you're still pondering over what next to do , please be very fast about it. Of a truth, the year is still very young to make something good out of it.

Perhaps, i might not need any banking job again. SKILL pays.... Until we realize that, the better for us all. Of course, education is KEY! But Skill makes one's more relevant. If i could not get any job for 6 months now, even despite the experiences, then what are we saying?

God will bless the work of our hands. Let's be very pro-active about our decisions. Don't procrastinate!!!

I call it Ti-Oluwani Prints. Email: leki9icekazman@gmail.com . 08131616658 08051575456. I'm open to more jobs biko.....

Kindly find attached one of jobs done at the just concluded printing

Thank you for sharing your experience.

I currently own and manage a small enterprise too, but much more can be done with more capital

AndyAustin:
I must say that to make something good out of life doesn't come easy. I've not been to other country before so I can't really say it's the Nigerian factor but nevertheless it's not been easy.
I remember leaving service some four months before passing out last year because I was thinking about being proactive and I didn't want to stay home after service year. Made my CV and sent to different people with the hope that connection would do it. Took up a job in a filling station where I was been underpaid but I was doing the job in order to have another means of earning and save something from my service year since my savings was at zero level then. Connection was taking long so I went out and started applying for jobs around my areas. From there, I extended the job hunting to other states and started using links and internet. The inevitable passing out came and I was still jobless, or rather still holding on to the filling station job where I was been underpaid (four figures salary). Got some job invitations and attended some interviews, experienced interviewers who expect you to tell them the color of pant they're wearing and kiss their shits, some hiring team who post vacancy outside their premises but are not ready to employ yet, so they just mess with people's time. It's really a one big crazy scenario put together. Now I'm already eating away my saved allawee since the filling station job is not really helping me financially. And I don't even know if to continue there or just quit and be finally jobless.
The society is really harsh and I've never believed Nigerian youths are altogether lazy, I remember writing my project on Nigerian youth because seeing all these guys doing gee boys, risking their lives to sell their kidney and doing all sort of dirty things (I'm not saying it's right though), but if things were better and ideal, all those things would be lessened down. May God help us all.

I still believe one can make it in nigeria without engaging in any corrupt practice.

keep on keeping on. Don't be discouraged. continue to take as many strategic action as possible, we will surely get there...

-

igahdavid:


Please, can you remove my name IgahDavid from your quote.
Thank you

I am not the 1 that write the original post, my moniker was use for the link that why I quote it to clarify issue, the original poster will be the1 to remove your name not me