By Our Reporter
For Siyaka Abdullazeez, a university certificate has become a painful reminder of a promise that remains unfulfilled.
A graduate of Biochemistry from Bayero University Kano, Siyaka has spent years searching for an opportunity to turn his education into a means of survival—not just for himself, but for the family he hopes to support.
His journey has not been without hardship.
During his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 2022, Siyaka said he was attacked and kidnapped. He survived the ordeal, underwent treatment and, despite the trauma, returned to pursue the future he had envisioned.
But after graduation and national service, another struggle began: finding meaningful employment.
In an emotional Facebook appeal, Siyaka reached out publicly to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, recalling his years of political support for her and pleading for an opportunity to become self-reliant.
He said he supported her from her days in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he served as an Assistant Financial Secretary in Achagana Ward. He also said he served as a polling unit agent during the 2019 election and continued supporting her after she moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to Siyaka, even after surviving the kidnapping incident during his NYSC, he still managed to recover enough to participate in the 2023 senatorial election.
But behind the political loyalty was a young graduate whose personal struggle was becoming increasingly difficult.
Siyaka said he had previously attempted to seek assistance through the senator’s aides, including Bashir Haroon and Hamza Lamisi, particularly during empowerment programmes.
He said those efforts did not produce the opportunity he was hoping for.
So he decided to tell his story publicly.
His request was strikingly modest.
He said he was not demanding a prestigious appointment or a major financial package. If necessary, he would accept even a small empowerment opportunity, including a tricycle business, while keeping his university certificate aside and hustling to provide for his family.
For Siyaka, the issue is no longer simply unemployment.
It is about dignity, survival and the desire to finally become useful to himself and those depending on him.
One of the most painful parts of his story is the loss of his mother.
He said she sacrificed greatly to see him through university but died before she could witness the fruits of her labour.
That loss, he explained, continues to weigh heavily on him.
“I am only asking for an opportunity to become useful to myself, my family and society,” he appealed.
His emotional post has now received a response from Senator Natasha.
Rather than a long public statement, the senator gave him a simple instruction:
“Send your CV.”
Those three words have shifted the tone of Siyaka’s public appeal—from a desperate search for help to the possibility of an opportunity.
For a graduate who has spent years knocking on doors, the request for his curriculum vitae may represent another door opening.
Whether it eventually leads to employment, empowerment or another opportunity remains to be seen.
But for now, Siyaka has something he has been searching for: a response.
And perhaps, after years of struggle, one more chance to prove that behind the certificate gathering dust is a young man still willing to work, rebuild his life and provide for his family.
Sometimes, all an unemployed graduate is asking for is not a handout, but a chance to stand.
