in , ,

‘Sabificate’ VS Certificate: Entrepreneurs are demanding more than paper qualification

With the nature of the current economic situation in the country, the increased unemployment and unemployable rate of Nigerian graduates has become a thing of public concern due to its dire consequences ranging from violence, crimes, restiveness, unhappiness and all kinds of negative attitudes that stare us and the entire society at large.

Arguably, some Nigerian graduates lack basic skills and are therefore, not employable. As a matter of concern, they have been advised to be committed to personal development by spending their resources on commercial and marketable skills and not on frivolities. Moreover, not only does the problem of graduate unemployability retard the competitiveness of our graduates in the 21st century global market, we are incurring very high national productivity losses as a result of the near vegetative state of what should actually serve as our high-level manpower.

It is not all about the certificate, one needs to also consider having ‘sabificate’ (what you know and what you can offer). Though ‘sabificate’ is not a word in the English dictionary, it’s coined for use in Nigerian pidgin English. So in place of certificate as attestation of qualification, it means having a skilled knowledge of a subject matter and being a practical person on it. Whereas, certificate on the other hand means an official document attesting a certain fact, in particular, it is actually a paper.

Now the big question is, can you employ a fellow based on certificate or’sabificate’. Encomium Weekly sought the opinions of employers of labour on whether they can employ a graduate on certificate or ‘sabificate’ in the face of the present economy – and they have this to say…

 

Mr. David Chibueze

Personally I would consider you having both because certificate is just a paper, it doesn’t show that the person knows the job. When you have people seeking for any job opportunity, you shouldn’t just do only oral interview. Try as much as possible to test their IQ on practical knowledge of that particular job.

 

Mr. Daniel Umuokoro

As an employer, I will definitely consider my employee’s practical knowledge, this is because youths of nowadays can do anything just to have that paper without having a bit of what they are supposed to

know.

 

Mrs. Bene

I will employ a graduate based on certificate because the person knows what to do. But if you employ somebody on certificate you may end up wasting your time.

 

Mrs. Fisayo Adeola

As you can see, my job needs practical knowledge. The certificate is just a proof you went to school, it doesn’t really tell who you are until we try the person on some certain skills. The truth is that one needs to have practical knowledge of his or her field of study.

 

Mr. Ademola Balogun

Before I employ anybody, he or she must have gone through series of interview. You are employing somebody with certificate, does the person really know about the job? You may even be the one doing the job at last.

 

Mr. Lanre

Personally, I will employ someone with both certificate and ‘sabificate’ as the case may be. You need to have at least a glimpse of what you are doing and have a proof as well. To drive my point home, you must have a practical knowledge and experience before even applying for a job because most times, the certificate is termed an ordinary paper.

 

Mrs. Adio

Honestly, I would employ someone who has certificate first before considering the practical knowledge of that individual. The truth is that, as a graduate one is supposed to have acquired some knowledge either directly or indirectly in school. But if I find out you cannot featured anywhere, you will be sacked with immediate effect.

 

Mr. Godwin Babatunde

I will employ someone who has knowledge of the job but if you don’t have and you are willing to learn, I can put you through. Considering certificate is what has been setting Nigeria on a low pace, we really need to look beyond some kind of things. You find out that there are many people into some kind of jobs who don’t have practical knowledge of it but they are occupying high places. We need to not only consider having the paper but also having knowledge as well.

 

CHIKA OKORIE

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Avatar

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

See what Martins, Aphrodija, Dikeh are up to today (August 7, 2017)

The Future Project and Microsoft Nigeria announces call for application for Accelerate the Economy through Youth in Enterprise (Accelerate LABS)