‘I Was Overwhelmed By Job Emails From US, UK After I Carried Placard’ – Viral job-Seeking Graduate

The Nigerian woman who went viral on the internet after a photo of her holding a placard and seeking a job has revealed that she has started getting offers from all over the world..

Ofejiro Atakele is a 29-year-old university graduate from Delta State with two degrees, a BSc in Mass Communications and Masters degree in Marketing Communication who devised that means to get a job after being frustrated with her unepmployement status for years.

In an interview with The PUNCH, the lady reveals how she got numerous emails from the US and UK after the photo of her carrying a placard went viral on social media. Find excerpts below;

What is your full name?

My name is Ofejiro Atakele.

How old are you and where are you from?

I’m 29 and I’m from the Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.

What is your full name?

My name is Ofejiro Atakele.

How old are you and where are you from?

I’m 29 and I’m from the Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.

You said you have a first degree in Mass Communication and a master’s in Marketing Communications. Can you tell us the institutions you attended and the years you obtained the qualifications?

I got a degree in Mass Communication from Babcock University in 2015 and a master’s degree from the Pan-Atlantic University in 2017. I had my national youth service in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Photos of you carrying a placard in search of a job went viral recently. Where and when did that happen?

It happened in Effurun, Warri, Delta State. I carried that placard on Monday (February 15, 2021).

What led you to do that?

I did that out of frustration from joblessness, not being financially stable to take care of myself the way I want. I just like the idea of being financially okay and not having that is frustrating because you won’t be able to take care of certain things.

Also, as a lady, some people just see us as persons who graduate from school and get married. But I long to work; I want to earn money. I want to feel the sense of giving myself the treat I deserve, to sponsor vacations on my own. It (being unemployed) is frustrating because I still depend on my mum. I feel for her, that she still has to give me money all the time. I’m supposed to be giving to her at this point and not collecting from her.

Was the idea of carrying a placard yours or were you advised to try it?

As I said earlier, the idea was conceived out of frustration and I just had this crazy thought in my head to go out to a busy roundabout like that because my helper might just be driving by and someone might just walk up to me and offer me a place in their organisation.

Can you tell us about your family background?

My mum is a meat seller in Delta State. She buys cows, gets them slaughtered at an abattoir for traders to buy from her. My dad is late. He passed away in 2001. My brother saw me through school.

How many siblings do you have?

I am from a polygamous home. From my mum, I have six siblings. Growing up, I didn’t lack. I was a little girl when my dad died but my mum tried her best for us. She is very hard-working; she is not the type that sits down and waits for people to give her alms. But we have not been lucky because we don’t have a family in which an uncle from somewhere would ask for our account numbers and send money to us. My mum was able to send me to a private secondary school and my brother took it up from there. He saw me through my education at Babcock University and Pan-Atlantic University.

Were you not concerned about how some people would look at you carrying a placard in search of a job?

At first, I was; I couldn’t see myself standing there. If anyone had suggested to me that I was going to do that (carry a placard) I wouldn’t have agreed. But that idea and action were borne out of frustration. I was frustrated. I needed a job. I took out time last year to learn a skill, sewing, because it was impossible to get a job due to the lockdown. I planned to go into the job market with full force because I had to be financially stable and help my mum.

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