Desperate times truly call for desperate measures. In a country fraught with mass unemployment, where graduates with good qualifications have been left to roam the streets for years on end, in search of little or non-existent jobs, drastic measures may have to be applied.
That was the case of Ibubeleye Macdonald, an unemployed mother of two, who has been on a hunt for a job since 2010 after she gained a B.Sc in Counselling Psychology. The long-suffering mom took matters into her own hands by spelling out a summary of her CV on a placard, which she brandished across the streets of Portharcourt. She had gone through great lengths to achieve her outstanding academic qualifications, including an M.Sc. in Educational Psychology (Distinction), and an ongoing PhD in Educational psychology; but alas, her dreams were being stifled by the situation in the country.
In an emotional Facebook post, she recounted how an overwhelming feeling of sadness drove her into the streets of the oil city:
“I sat down and remembered all my teachers who prophesied greatness to me, I thought of my late grandma who will always say that I will wipe away her tears, I thought of my dad who borrowed money and did all he could to make sure I got the best, I thought of how he would wish I were a boy, so I won’t have to get married. I remembered how I struggled in school to make first class so that the university would retain me but unfortunately instead of 4.5 my CGPA was 4.49 and that was the first time I felt my dream drifting away. My Late supervisor advised me to come back for my Masters that the department needs people like me, I told him I didn’t have money, he said I should apply that God was going to make a way, I did! He gave me his books for free, he supervised my project, and just when I was about to graduate, that fateful day I was about to call him that I’ve made it, that i got a distinction; we lost him… In a country where it’s whom you know that will fight for you, who will help me now? I applied severally, my HOD even recommended me while I was doing my Masters, but they told me there was an embargo on employment. God knows I have tried…”
According to Ibubeleye, she is in need of a teaching, counselling, or lecturing job.
We hope a good offer good comes out of this bold move, as this lady has demonstrated the key skills most companies would desire.
She has been trending on social media, and is inundated with calls and interviews by media houses including BBC, The Cable, and others.
We hope that beyond the publicity this brings, she actually gets the job she seeks.
Source: Ib Macdonald/Facebook
