We Don’t Need More Lawyers/Banking and Finance Graduates In Nigeria

The preferred ambition of most intending WAEC candidates who have a craving for arts and likewise, those who feel academically unworthy of studying medicine and other “demanding” science-related courses, are first driven towards the study of law and banking and finance. Securing these competitive and highly-rated courses, are known to be such a drag! As a result, unsuccessful candidates are left to grudgingly settle for other disciplines which are slightly considered “less pleasant.” Parents do feel a pinch of disappointment as well.

The law profession and a career in banking, are regarded in certain homes as a tolerable excuse for having a light head for science, thereby missing out on fellow prominent and economically viable courses like medicine and engineering. Other courses outside this celebrated category, are commonly viewed as mediocre or a little below expectation. This bias to a large extent, has prompted the continuous proliferation of lawyers in Nigeria, which sadly leaves a bulk of young attorneys with little or no feather to fly with at the crowded labor market. I’d get back to that shortly.

Recruitment at the banking sector nowadays, continue to amaze us, as almost anybody can be hired for banking duties regardless of his or her course of study. A good zoology degree (added with some wits and ‘street smarts’) can set the ball rolling to a terrific career at the banking hall! Despite this shift from the norm, a lot of Nigerians still troop en masse to pursue a degree in banking and finance, disregarding the least patronized courses which could be of more value to them and the nation.

Our society is saturated with more “idle” and inexperienced lawyers, with fewer cases available to them. The fate of some young lawyers who are attached to chambers of the older and experienced ones, lay in the extremely meagre income they are compelled to make do with just to earn a living. These young lawyers, may need to tarry for many years in a dicey gamble of attaining their full potential. Some jilt the profession for greener pastures after a dry spell of success, forfeiting the long years of academic investment.

As Nigeria prepares for life outside oil, we must begin to nurse the adolescent areas of our economy into adulthood. We need a new wave of certified professionals in agriculture, ICT, theatre arts (to reignite the creativity in our promising entertainment industry), tourism/hospitality, marketing/business administration (which is cardinal for entrepreneurship), fashion/graphic designing, etc.

It will serve a great deal, if our academic population can curtail their pursuit of some overhyped “prominent courses” (which we can presently do without), and take a second look at the least patronized viable ones.

By Nimi Princewill