Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Character Commission Commissioner representing Enugu State, Peter Eze, has issued a direct and unflinching challenge to young people across the state, urging them to abandon the belief that Federal Government jobs are reserved for those with political connections and to instead position themselves for opportunities through preparation, due process, and merit. Eze made the call on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at the Peter Eze Youth Connect workshop held at the International Conference Centre in Enugu, with the theme, “Beyond Quotas: Unlocking Opportunities for Enugu Youths Through the Federal Character Commission.”
The workshop was not a political rally. It was a practical intervention designed to connect thousands of young people with information about jobs, skills, scholarships, and career opportunities. But the commissioner’s message was as much about mindset as it was about access. He said widespread misinformation and longstanding misconceptions about federal recruitment had discouraged many qualified youths from even applying, effectively disqualifying themselves before they had a chance to compete. “One of the major reasons for this unfortunate situation is the existence of generational fallacies, erroneous impressions and misleading assumptions that advertised or publicised Federal Public Service and other public service jobs have already been shared or given out even before they are publicly advertised,” Eze said. He described this belief as a self-fulfilling prophecy, a fear that had become more powerful than the reality it was based on.
Eze did not mince words about the consequences of that fear. He told the gathering that no one could win a race they refused to enter, and he used a simple metaphor to drive the point home. “No player has ever won a football match outside the pitch. Let me, therefore, use this opportunity to emphasise that you can barely get an opportunity you do not apply for,” he said. He urged the youths to stop disqualifying themselves through assumptions that recruitment outcomes had already been predetermined, stressing that applicants must first put themselves forward for consideration before they could hope to be selected. The message was clear: the first step to getting a federal job is believing that it is possible to get one.
The commissioner explained that the Federal Character Commission had a constitutional responsibility to promote equitable representation in federal institutions, and he pointed to the sheer scale of the federal bureaucracy as evidence that opportunities were not as scarce as many believed. According to him, more than 700 federal ministries, departments, agencies, commissions, and other establishments offer employment and related opportunities. “You do not need to buy a job; you need to prepare yourself,” he said. The statement was a direct warning against the middlemen and fraudsters who prey on desperate job seekers, demanding payment for legitimate government employment that is supposed to be free and merit-based. Eze’s words were a reminder that the culture of “godfatherism” is not just a problem of supply, but of demand. As long as young people believe that they must pay to get a job, there will always be someone willing to take their money.
Beyond employment, the workshop was designed to expose participants to a wider range of opportunities, including grants, scholarships, fellowships, and training programmes. Eze disclosed that five participants would be selected to receive full scholarships to study abroad, a gesture that underscored the practical nature of the initiative. He said the programme would be sustained beyond the one-day workshop through the creation of a network through which youths could access and share information on legitimate opportunities. The goal, he explained, was not to create dependency on a single event or a single individual, but to build a self-sustaining ecosystem of information and access that young people could use to improve their lives. “Let nobody make you believe that you need a godfather before you can succeed,” he said. “Get the information. Follow the process. Prepare yourself. Apply. Compete. And pursue your opportunity.”
The timing of the workshop is significant. Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate remains one of the highest in the world, and the competition for federal jobs is fierce. But Eze’s message challenges a narrative that has become deeply entrenched in Nigerian society: the idea that success is impossible without a powerful patron. That narrative is not entirely without foundation. Nigeria’s political and bureaucratic systems have long been criticised for nepotism, favouritism, and the informal networks that determine who gets what. But Eze’s intervention suggests that the problem is not just the system, but the belief system that surrounds it. When young people stop applying because they assume they will not be selected, they hand the opportunities to those who do apply, often the very people with the connections they resent.
The commissioner’s approach has already drawn praise from youth organisations. In August 2026, the National Youth Council of Nigeria’s Enugu State Chapter commended Eze for his work at the FCC, saying his leadership had given hope to countless young people by proving that one did not need a political godfather to access opportunities and excel. The NYCN described his accessibility and commitment to youth empowerment as a model for other public officials. That recognition reflects a growing appetite among young Nigerians for leaders who do not just talk about youth empowerment, but who create tangible pathways for young people to access opportunities.
The Peter Eze Youth Connect workshop is part of a broader effort to bridge the gap between young people and the institutions that are meant to serve them. The FCC, which is often misunderstood as an agency that merely enforces quotas, is in fact a critical player in ensuring that federal appointments reflect the diversity of the country. By bringing the commission’s work directly to the youths of Enugu, Eze is demystifying the federal recruitment process and giving young people the tools they need to navigate it. The five scholarships to study abroad are a concrete demonstration of that commitment, but the real value of the workshop lies in the mindset shift it is trying to achieve. If young Nigerians can be convinced that the system is not rigged against them, that effort and preparation still matter, and that they do not need a godfather to succeed, then the workshop will have achieved something far more valuable than any single job placement. It will have restored a sense of agency to a generation that has been told, repeatedly and often by the evidence of their own experience, that their future is not in their hands.
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