“Fake vacancies, job slots for sale, recruitment scams,” the many sad lived realities of unemployed Nigerians

Securing a paid employment in today’s Nigeria is almost becoming an impossibility. Responding to advertised job vacancies or invitation to interviews is also no guarantee that a candidate will be selected for the role.

For many unemployed and job seeking Nigerians, the struggle goes beyond finding a vacancy. Some say they must contend with demands for money, alleged job-slot sales and recruitment processes in which personal connections appear to matter more than qualifications.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, down from 5.3 per cent in the first quarter. Youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 was 6.5 per cent, while urban unemployment stood at 5.2 per cent.

Although the figures indicate a decline in unemployment, the NBS also reported that 93 per cent of employed Nigerians were in informal employment during the period, highlighting the prevalence of informal work in the country.

For many job seekers, securing stable, well-paid employment remains a challenge.

 

The cost of desperation

For some applicants, the promise of employment comes with an unexpected price tag. Job seekers interviewed for this report described encounters with individuals who allegedly demanded money for registration, documentation, training and access to supposed vacancies.

Ayanwale Olalekan, a recruitment scam victim, said he lost ₦50,000 after responding to an online job advert for a company he recognised.

According to him, he applied through the advertised channel and was subsequently contacted on WhatsApp by someone claiming to represent the company. The individual informed him that he had been shortlisted and later selected for the position.

However, before he could resume work, he was asked to pay ₦50,000 for documentation and processing.

Although initially uncomfortable with the request, Olalekan said his unemployment and need for work influenced his decision to borrow the money and pay.

After the payment, the supposed recruiter repeatedly postponed his resumption date before eventually becoming unreachable.

“I eventually borrowed the money and paid. After making the payment, they started giving me different excuses about when I would resume. Eventually, their numbers stopped going through and I realised I had been scammed,” he said.

Olalekan described the experience as painful, noting that his desperation had made him overlook warning signs that he might otherwise have questioned.

His experience illustrates how scammers can exploit applicants’ eagerness to secure employment by creating the impression that a job has already been offered, leaving payment as the only outstanding requirement.

Another job seeker, Mr Johnson, said he received a WhatsApp message from an unfamiliar number offering him a position with a government agency.

The sender claimed to have connections with a recruitment officer and requested about ₦350,000, citing Johnson’s qualifications as the reason he was suitable for the position.

Johnson said the offer appeared convincing enough for him to seek his friends’ opinions before taking any action. Although he did not establish whether the offer was genuine, the experience left him concerned about the growing prevalence of online recruitment schemes.

For him, demanding money from applicants creates an unfair situation in which qualified people who cannot afford such payments risk losing employment opportunities.

 

Fake vacancies and disguised business schemes

While some fraudulent recruiters promise employment in exchange for money, others allegedly use job adverts to attract applicants to entirely different ventures.

Mr Adeola, who responded to an online vacancy, said he was invited for a physical interview after submitting his application by email.

Following the interview, a few candidates, including Adeola, were selected for a second-day screening. However, instead of proceeding with the recruitment exercise, they were asked to pay ₦150,000 for business courses.

He said the recruiters had earlier made promises about the substantial earnings participants could make after purchasing the courses.

The experience raised questions about the purpose of the original job advert and whether the recruitment exercise was primarily intended to sell training programmes.

Miss Feyisayo also recounted an encounter with a woman who advertised job vacancies on social media. She was asked to pay ₦20,000 for an application service that included preparing an email and CV and submitting applications on her behalf.

Feyisayo’s experience highlights another challenge for applicants who rely on recruitment intermediaries to find work, particularly when the services offered and the legitimacy of the vacancies are not independently verified.

Miss Temi Juwon, who has encountered recruitment adverts demanding payment for internships, said the practice was not limited to full-time employment.

She noted that some companies requested payments from prospective interns, raising concerns about the financial barriers facing young people seeking their first professional experience.

According to Juwon, the prevalence of such demands could discourage qualified applicants who lack the financial resources to participate in these recruitment arrangements.

 

When qualifications are not enough

Beyond outright fraud, some job seekers believe that financial demands and personal connections have made the recruitment process less accessible.

Mrs Oluwakemi Rose recalled an experience around 2007 or 2008, shortly after completing her National Youth Service Corps programme, when she applied for a teaching position under the Lagos State Government.

Rose said she completed the required examination and other stages of the recruitment process. When the list of successful applicants was released, however, she discovered that her name had been incorrectly written as Oluwakemi J. Bose instead of Oluwakemi J. Rose.

After making enquiries and finding no applicant with the name that appeared on the list, she approached the official responsible for addressing the discrepancy.

She alleged that she was asked to pay a particular amount of money before her name could be corrected. Unable to raise the money, she eventually lost the opportunity.

“I couldn’t pay the money, and that was how I lost that opportunity to work under Lagos State as a teacher,” she said.

Her account raises concerns about the consequences of unofficial financial demands during recruitment, particularly when applicants have little power to challenge those responsible for processing their applications.

The issue of connections also featured prominently in the accounts of job seekers.

Juwon said referrals and personal relationships often appeared to influence access to employment opportunities, particularly in Lagos, where she believed securing well-paid positions without connections could be difficult.

However, she distinguished between legitimate referrals and arrangements that exclude qualified applicants.

“Referrals are not necessarily wrong, but it becomes a problem when people use connections to bypass qualified candidates or fill positions without giving others a fair opportunity to apply,” she said.

Adeshina Lawrence, another job seeker, shared similar concerns, saying some vacancies appeared to be reserved for people with connections before other applicants had an opportunity to compete.

He noted that the perception that employment depended on personal relationships or money could discourage people who relied solely on formal application processes.

Amina Yusuf, a human resource professional, acknowledged that employee referrals and professional networks were legitimate recruitment practices in some organisations. However, she said they should not replace transparent procedures, particularly where qualified applicants were excluded from applying.

She stressed that public-sector recruitment, in particular, should follow established procedures that allow eligible candidates to compete fairly.

 

The difficulty of identifying recruitment scams

For job seekers, distinguishing between genuine recruitment exercises and fraudulent schemes is not always straightforward.

Scammers reportedly use company names, logos, convincing social media profiles and seemingly legitimate correspondence to gain applicants’ trust.

Olalekan said the use of a familiar company’s name and logo on the recruiter’s WhatsApp profile contributed to his belief that the vacancy was genuine.

Similarly, Johnson said the message offering him a government position appeared convincing because of the way the supposed recruiter presented the opportunity.

Adeshina said scammers often make attractive salary offers and use the names of established companies to make fraudulent vacancies appear authentic. Some request money for application forms, interviews, medical examinations, training and other supposed recruitment requirements.

Yusuf warned that applicants should be cautious of recruiters who promise guaranteed employment in exchange for payment. She advised job seekers to verify vacancies through official company websites and established communication channels before sharing personal information or making financial commitments.

She also urged applicants to examine recruitment requirements carefully and be wary of unsolicited offers that demand immediate payment.

For victims, however, reporting fraud and recovering lost money can present additional challenges.

While some respondents recommended reporting recruitment scams to the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Johnson expressed doubts about the effectiveness of seeking redress through the police.

He said he feared that reporting the incident could involve additional expenses without guaranteeing a meaningful outcome.

Olalekan, on the other hand, encouraged victims to report fraudulent recruiters and retain evidence, including messages, payment receipts and bank account details.

The contrasting experiences highlight the need for accessible reporting channels and effective investigation of recruitment fraud, particularly for victims who have already suffered financial losses.

 

Calls for transparent recruitment

Human resource professionals and job seekers interviewed for this report called on employers and government agencies to make recruitment more transparent and accessible.

Yusuf said employers should publicly advertise vacancies, clearly state the requirements for each position and explain their selection criteria.

She added that candidates should be assessed based on their qualifications, experience, skills and suitability for the roles rather than their financial capacity or personal connections.

She also urged HR professionals to adopt ethical recruitment practices and ensure that applicants are treated fairly throughout the hiring process.

Johnson similarly called for public advertisements of vacancies and clear recruitment procedures, adding that government agencies should monitor and sanction individuals or organisations involved in selling job slots or manipulating recruitment exercises.

For Olalekan, employers should use their official platforms to announce vacancies and warn applicants against paying individuals who claim to represent them.

He also called for increased public education to help job seekers recognise fraudulent recruitment practices and stronger investigations into repeated cases of recruitment fraud.

Juwon said government and employers should ensure that recruitment opportunities are accessible to qualified applicants without requiring personal connections or unofficial payments.

She added that making vacancies and selection criteria public would help reduce the perception that employment opportunities were reserved for a privileged few.

Adeola also called for more accessible recruitment processes, particularly in the public sector, where he believes applicants should be able to compete without relying on personal connections.

 

Beyond the financial losses

For many victims, the consequences of recruitment scams extend beyond the money lost. The disappointment of believing that employment is within reach, only to discover that the offer is fraudulent, can deepen the uncertainty surrounding an already difficult job search.

Olalekan said his experience taught him not to rush into making payments simply because a recruiter claimed he had been selected.

Feyisayo, meanwhile, said she could not always identify fraudulent vacancies from adverts alone, making it important for applicants to scrutinise recruiters’ responses and verify the organisations behind the offers.

The accounts also reveal a broader challenge for Nigeria’s labour market. While unemployment and the demand for secure employment create opportunities for fraudulent recruiters, the perception that money or connections can determine access to jobs raises additional concerns about fairness.

Addressing the problem requires more than warning applicants to be cautious. Transparent recruitment procedures, credible reporting channels, public awareness and accountability from employers and recruitment agencies are all important to reducing opportunities for exploitation.

For job seekers such as Olalekan and Rose, the consequences of questionable recruitment practices have been tangible: money lost, opportunities missed and confidence in the hiring process undermined.

As Nigerians continue to search for employment, the challenge remains to ensure that access to a job depends on a candidate’s ability to do it, rather than their willingness or ability to pay for it.